“A few years ago, while my wife was pregnant with our second kid and about to give birth, my mother came to visit with us. One early evening, Mom requested a pen, paper, and envelope. She wrote on the paper, sealed it in an envelope, and delivered it to me. ‘Put this in your pocket and do not open it. ‘You will know when,’ she added.

Thirty minutes later, my wife declared that she needed to go to the hospital because she was in labor. So we did, and 9 hours later, at 3:45 a.m., our second daughter was born. She weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 20 inches long.

In the days before cell phones, I called my mother from the hospital to tell her the news. She answered the phone and said, ‘Before you say anything, open the envelope.’ I did. It stated: ‘Girl 3:45 AM, 8 pounds, 11 ounces, 20 inches.’ I saved that paper for years. When my mother died, I went to the document safe where we stored it, but it was gone.”