1/ Four years ago, my daughter went into labor with her first child. My friend Sue raced me to the airport in record time for two evening flights, w/a short connection time. The airline employee at the 2nd gate looked at my purse & laptop case draped over my arm. "No," she said.
2/ She pointed at my suitcase. “You can’t take that on the plane.”
I assured her that I had gate-checked it on the previous flight, and asked to do that again. “No, she said. “You have to go back to the terminal and check it.” My heart was now pounding.
I assured her that I had gate-checked it on the previous flight, and asked to do that again. “No, she said. “You have to go back to the terminal and check it.” My heart was now pounding.
3/ “My daughter is in labor,” I said, my voice trembling. “I’m trying to get to her in time.” She shook her head. “Not my problem.”
That’s when I heard the stranger’s voice behind me.
“I’ll take it, honey,” he said.
That’s when I heard the stranger’s voice behind me.
“I’ll take it, honey,” he said.
4/ I turned around to see two tall, burly men smiling at me. They were traveling furnace repairmen for plants and factories, I would soon learn, on their way home to Providence. In that moment, though, one of them had become my instant husband.
5/ The woman’s face was a map of disbelief. “You’re with *her*,” she said. He smiled again and said, “Yep.” The woman sighed and ushered us through. “You’re holding up the line,” she said.
6/ Do I even need to tell you how hard I hugged that man? We talked for the entire flight. I told him my father had been a maintenance mechanic at our local electric company. He told me that meant Dad could fix anything in the plant. That meant everything.
7/ After we landed, I rushed to the airport exit. “My daughter is having a baby!” I yelled as I approached the cab driver at the front of the line.
“Then what are we doing here?” he yelled back, grabbing my suitcase and throwing in into the truck. “Let’s go, Grandma.”
“Then what are we doing here?” he yelled back, grabbing my suitcase and throwing in into the truck. “Let’s go, Grandma.”
8/ I made it. I kissed my daughter’s cheek and hugged her husband, and for a while we chatted and shared our nervous excitement. And then I paced the halls for hours. Things got scary, and then everything was okay.
9/ Milo Sherrod Molina arrived December 10. On her show next night, @maddow shared my tweet of newborn Milo, unaware of all that Cait had gone through to bring him into the world. I will never forget that smile on my daughter's face. For that, I'm forever grateful to Rachel. 
@maddow 10/ Today you are four, Milo. Someday, I will tell you about the friends and kind strangers who helped me welcome you into the world. My favorite is the furnace repairman who, for a few hours on December 9, 2015, was your temporary grandpa. You would have liked him. I love you.
