Special Deliveries

Remember the old TV show with Art Linkletter, "Kids Say the Darndest Things."? It was a classic program that became a favorite among kids and parents alike. I have no doubts that each of us has a recollection of something we said or did that would have compared with the televised antics that entertained us long ago. I have always chuckled when I recall the image I had of my father when he was out late delivering babies.

My father, who is now a retired Family Physician, was your stereotypical, small town physician. He made house calls, did some minor surgery, acted as a Radiologist or Anesthesiologist depending on the need, and delivered babies, just like any Obstetrician of today. I am sure there were times when his patients may have even considered him a darn good Psychiatrist or a member of the clergy. I know for sure he never took the bar exam, so practicing law would have been a stretch. As I think about it, he was the consummate, General Practitioner.

All too long ago, I remember awakening to the sound of my parent's voices whispering in the morning, no doubt in an attempt to keep the "wee folk" from stirring. Likely, my father was at the sink shaving, sharing the plans for his day, while my mother would have been rallying her energy to prepare breakfast and all the lunches. If there had been calls during the night or if he actually got called out, he may have given my mother a brief rundown. I do remember, at least on one occasion, he informed my Mom that he had been out in the middle of the night delivering babies. When I overheard this, I envisioned my father with the back seat of his car lined up with rows of bassinets filled with newborns. Naturally, he would have gone to the hospital to pick them up and then personally "deliver" them, just like a milkman would have. Anyway, that seemed far more logical to me than a stork dropping off that precious cargo.

So to this day, whenever I hear someone talking about a delivery, it drums up that image I have of my father out on his delivery route with his back seat lined neatly with those clear bassinets. He'd make his stops and place each baby safely on the porch for some eagerly awaiting mother or father to find in the morning. Because of his genuine concern and compassion, he was their special "delivery man"; I am absolutely certain that this is why his patients trusted him as their "Man who Delivered"!