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It Was Meant To Be

By Brookshire McDonald


I thought I was being smart

And so you see,

I started planning for Christmas

As early as could be.


With six children

And spouses, too,

There’s a lot of gifting

For me to do.


In addition I have 15 grands

And a brother I love very much.

I think of their personal passions

To keep me well in touch.


With iPad in hand

And thoughts in mind,

I begin my orders

Including one of a kind.


Then I search for flights

To join daughter and family.

Three of my grands are there

Waiting their GeeGee to see.


The month goes by

Sorta fast,

And Christmas Eve has arrived;

‘Tis here at last.


Suitcase gifts from GeeGee

Is a grandma tradition;

So off I go

With this addition.


Arriving at the airport two hours early

As directed,

I soon found an adventure

I had not expected.


I settled in

At my designated gate,

Soon to find out

My plane was late.


I checked the schedule board

As often as I could,

But nothing was improving

As it should.


So there I sat

Hour in and hour out

While passengers

Were mulling all about.


In the meantime I met a couple of men

Waiting for the exact same flight.

The rescuer I am I thought about

Taking them home for the night.


My children I could hear

In the back of my mind,

M-O-T-H-E-R it could not be safe

To be so kind.


Two of my children

Began to text

“Go home; go home

You don’t know what’s next.”


You could get stuck in Orlando

Four days or more

Never making it to Birmingham

That’s for “Shore.”


Spending Christmas with alligators

Was not a good thought,

Because what about my grandchildren

And the gifts I had bought?