Hack Hack Hack

I singlehandedly ruined an entire family's special moment with their new baby this Sunday. Okay, I probably didn't entirely ruin it, but I'm sure I messed it up quite a bit. I've had a cold for a few days now, but I was feeling well enough on Sunday to go to church. That morning a family in my ward (congregation) was blessing their child. This is a special moment for a family with a new little one, where all the relatives come and priesthood holders, including the child's father and close friends and family, lay their hands upon the new child's head and ask Heavenly Father to bless him or her. Everyone bows their heads and is very quiet while the blessing is being given. Everyone that is, except me, who , right at the very moment the father of this beautiful little girl began to speak, launched into one of the worst uncontrollable coughing fits of my life. It felt like someone was tickling the top of my throat with a feather, and I could not control my reaction AT ALL. At first I tried to just clear my throat gently, but that only made the situation worse. Pretty soon I was coughing repeatedly, and LOUDLY. The poor girls' mom probably couldn't even hear the blessing over all the ruckus, but I absolutely could not stop. Believe me, I tried. This resulted in some heavy gagging and more fitful coughing. I was so mortified with myself. I wanted to stand up and run out of the chapel, but I thought that would create an even bigger distraction. So the coughing and gagging while unsuccessfully trying to hold it in continued all the way to the very end of the blessing, whereupon as the child's father held her up for all to see, and everyone oohed and ahhed over her, I finally stood up, red-faced and still hacking, and hightailed it outside into the foyer. SO embarrassing.