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Welcome to familywisdom.com, a website dedicated to informing and inspiring couples and families. Each week you will find a new article, story or essay about parenting, marriage or life. Suggestions for articles and questions to Ellen Terich are welcome. You can contact her at e.terich1@verizon.net |
THOUGHTS ON THE BIRTH OF A GRANDDAUGHTER 2003-06-04 My granddaughter Grace Ellen (yes, named after me) was born in Pasadena on Monday, June 2nd, making her appearance on a beautiful, sunny Southern California day. The next day, "June gloom" arrived and the sun didn't come out all day. What a perfect metaphor, I thought! Grace's birth was long anticipated and a truly blessed event. The joy and the promise that comes with new life was reflected in the warmth and brightness of the sun on the day of her birth. But on her second day on earth the sun was obscured, foreshadowing bumps in the road, obstacles to overcome, and inevitable gloomy days. Grace is a beautiful, pink, sweet baby. She is smaller at birth than her older brother was, and more feminine (or are we projecting?). So far, she is a quiet little one, crying only when she's hungry. It is tempting to predict what she will be like, but we dare not lest we impose our own expectations on her. As far as I, her maternal grandmother, am concerned, Grace will be loved and cherished no matter who she becomes or what she does. But I do have a few wishes for her and so I offer them today. Dearest Grace, I wish for you first a healthy and loving infancy, a time of warmth and satisfaction, of gentle summer breezes coming in the window, a time of lullabies and safety in your mother's arms. I wish you a happy and carefree childhood, a time of play and companionship with your big brother Sean, a time of chasing butterflies and rainbows, a time of giggling and running, a time of dolls and tea parties and jungle gyms and tree forts, a time of sweet dreams and dress up, a time of adventure and make believe. I wish for you a first rate education, teachers who love you almost as much as your parents love you, classmates who laugh with you and let you go first sometimes, books that will stimulate your imagination and questions you will long to answer. I wish for you teenage years that include adventure - but not too much - and boys - but not too soon. I wish you curiosity tempered with good judgment, common sense and wisdom and, of course, the gift of laughter that your parents will surely pass on to you. I wish for you a purposeful life, filled with joy and wonder, friends and family, and - if you desire it someday - a husband and children of your own who will continue to love you as much as your parents and brother, grandparents, great-grandparents and aunts and uncles love you. I wish you just enough bumps to build strength, just enough obstacles to develop persistence and just enough gloomy days to appreciate the sun. Finally, a wish to reflect your name. The Graces were the ancient goddesses of beauty: Sound, Light, Brilliance, Joy and Bloom. And so I wish you everything that your beautiful name implies: a lovely voice, a sparkling presence, a discerning mind, a cheerful personality and a heart that blossoms with compassion and love. Love, Grammy |