November-December 1974

Mason took his time coming into this world. We expected his arrival on or about the 8th of November. Our child would be a Scorpio. As often happens with due dates, the 8th came and went quietly. This baby was in no hurry to be born, it was not yet his time. A few weeks later on the 28th of November, I celebrated my 25th birthday which happened to fall on Thanksgiving day that year. My child would be a Sagittarius, like me. Cool! Having no signs of impending birth and past due by three weeks, I entered the hospital to be induced, only to be sent home many hours later with empty arms and an ever-growing belly.  This baby wasn’t budging and November turned into December.  We didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as we celebrated Christmas, I’m sure we did a bit of both, but as it turned out we didn’t have much longer to wait. His time had come at last. Our child would be a Capricorn. We welcomed Mason into our hearts on December 26th, all 10 lbs. 1 oz, 23 1/2″ of him. Mason was born when his soul was ready and not a moment sooner.

November-December 2009

Mason left this world much too soon. He was infected with fusobacterium on the 4th of November, fell sick on the 11th, admitted to the hospital on the 16th and intubated on the 18th. During the remainder of November, Mason suffered one assault after another, his survival threatened daily. We postponed Thanksgiving, choosing to wait until Mason was well and we could celebrate together, as a family. Mason had surgery on my 60th birthday and November turned into December. On the morning of December 3rd it began to snow. That afternoon as I watched the snow fall lightly from his hospital room window, the fire alarms went off and Mason quickly began to slip away. But he didn’t leave, not that day. It was not yet his time, only a glimpse into the very near future. We said good-bye to Mason in the early morning hours of December 7th, our minds numb, our hearts broken. His time had come. That Christmas we cried. He never saw his 35th birthday. Mason passed when his soul was ready and not a moment later.

“God breaks the heart again and again and again until it stays open. ” –       Hazrat Inayat Khan