“Ever had a moment where you realize this is the best story I’m ever going to tell and nothing cooler than this is ever going to happen to me? I’m pretty sure I had my life’s moment.
So it’s a little after midnight on Wednesday, May 16. I’m in the process of getting an epidural to welcome Nayan Raj Jindal into the world. (Spoiler alert – he’s delicious!) The anesthesiologist is making conversation to help distract me from the discomfort. Turns out there is a couple a few doors down who is looking for the hospital chaplain to marry them. Their wedding plans went awry when her water broke. (Babies! So rude.) Nobody can find the chaplain at the moment – probably because it’s after midnight in the middle of the week – so the staff is in mad dash mode to help. (Incredible humans, I tell you).
And that’s where this got real interesting, real fast: I can officiate! The internet says so! Let me tell you about the Purple Pundit Project (www.purplepunditproject.com), I say! Minds. Blown. Clearly our stars have all aligned. The only catch: we’d have to move fast, because my epidural is kicking in and you know, labor.
I can’t say I’ve ever had a chance to actively choose to insert myself into someone else’s love story. But I was about to bring life into the world and I’ll be damned if this kid didn’t learn that when given the option, he should always choose love. It takes so little to do something kind for someone else.
So – a little after midnight, a little loopy, I officiated a wedding in the middle of my hospital room for a beautiful couple before they had their own child and I had mine. The team at Cornell turned it into a celebration – with flowers, a processional and even a reading! One of the nurses wrote a poem! Totally surreal, totally lovely.
For our best stories, subscribe to our free email newsletter
And four hours later, along came Nayan. 7 lbs, 6 oz, 21 inches, head full of hair, first life lesson already enforced.
I don’t think it will ever get better than this.”
This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Sushma Dwivedi of New York, New York. Submit your own story here, and subscribe to our best stories in our free newsletter here.
SHARE this story on Facebook to encourage others to cherish every moment and love what matters most!