Saturday, October 23, 2010

Autumn Day

On this blustery Autumn day, I am reminded of another Autumn Day that pops up in my mind from time to time.  Last night I had a dream about that specific Autumn Day and I thought I'd take a moment and reflect on a day I will never forget.

Smaller details are blurred, but the biggest details remain.  I believe I was in high school at the time.  On this particular day I was shopping for some unknown reason at the Mariner Mall in Superior.  Like any girl with a small bladder, I used the restroom, did my business, and went on my merry way eventually returning  home.

Later that evening, there was a breaking news story about a little baby who was found in the Mariner Mall in the Women's Bathroom.  Apparently the mother of this baby just abandoned her in the bathroom.  Luckily, someone found this baby and hopefully she got the care and love every baby deserves.

What strikes me about this story is that my whole life, I have always wanted to be a rescuer.  To find and rescue an unloved puppy or kitty brings such a sense of fulfillment and makes the heart grow.  Ever since I was a young girl, I loved babies and children.  As much as I wanted to find that box of thrown away puppies on the highway, I also fantasized about finding an unwanted baby.  A baby I could keep for myself to raise, cherish, and love.  Never mind all the legal mumbo jumbo. 

In my false memory, I believe I even recall the sound of a crying baby.  Certainly something gave me a feeling of uncertainty that I could not quite put my finger on until I heard the news story.  That day I was hours, perhaps even minutes away from finding that unwanted baby in the bathroom.  To this day, I wonder what her life is like.  Where she is.  How she is.  How old she is now.  What it would have been like to raise her.  Dream about her.

Since she was found on a Fall afternoon, the "authorities" named her Autumn Day.  Somewhere out there, I have a baby girl.  And her name is Autumn Day.

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