On Becoming a Grandmother (Grammy)

As many of you know, we will be blessed in early September with the arrival of our first grandchild. Twelve years ago when diagnosed with leukemia, my life vision was limited as I focused on surviving to see our daughters graduate from high school. I have been so blessed during these years to have attended two of our daughters' weddings (the third one planned for April 2009); attended all three daughters' high school and college gradauations and now proudly observe all three attending graduate school. Then arrived the word that I was to become a Grandmother!

One of my favorite contemporary authors and Bible teachers, Beth Moore, wrote the following passage in her book A Heart Like His. I am framing this to hang in our "Lil Man's" nursery. It so eloquently describes the battle this Grandmother-to-Be is fighting to be able to care for my own Lil Man (he does have a name but has been Lil Man to me for months now!)

My family watched helplessly as our mother declined with rapidly
failing health. I watched her pace slow dramatically.
I resented and despised the pain that continued
to increase in her body.

Then my older sister announced that she was expecting a baby. Mother, the eternal optimist, responded with firm resolve:
“Well, I may as well forget about being sick. We’ve got a baby coming. I’ve got work to do.” And work she did.

Eight months later a beautiful red-headed baby boy named Joshua came into our lives. My mother, who just months before was
failing rapidly, kept him virtually every weekday of his young life.

She didn’t just keep him; she rocked him, sang to him, kissed his plump little cheeks; read to him; took pictures of him; called his Mom with every new accomplishment; kept a journal about him; and added continually to his adorable vocabulary.

I called my mother right after Joshua’s first birthday and almost cried as I said, “Thank you, Mother, for giving him the sweetest gift in all the world — an enormous amount of your time and attention.”

My mother responded back with a broken voice,
“Are you kidding? He practically brought me back to life.”

Mom went to be with Jesus last summer after her long battle
with cancer. Joshua is still a young boy now,
but I know one thing for sure:
We’ll see Mom in him for the rest of his life.