I’m Officially a Grandma!

Watching my firstborn son and daughter-in-love undergo childbirth this week—a common yet profoundly miraculous event in our human experience—burst my heart wide open. Gazing at my first-born grandson stole any last reserves. I’m undone.

The sight of our two families, woven by marriage, crowded in the waiting room made me smile. We sat in a row with anticipation scrawled across our faces, each with our own memories, our own brand of overcoming, our own hopes and dreams all converging in this monumental moment amid a miracle about to transpire.

This moment, and many others, strung together to form a lifetime.

I’m pretty sure someone pushed a fast-forward button. A few breaths, a few heartbeats, more than a few Lego sets and pushes on the swing and… BOOM! The next moment, I turn around and my blue-eyed baby boy is holding a baby boy of his own.

Isn’t this life a wonder? Somewhere between beauty meant to steal our breath away, and heartache making it hard to take the next breath, we often neglect to notice how sacred life is. We miss the moments.

Unrehearsed, magnificent moments such as a newborn’s first breath, a baby’s first garbled word, or a toddler’s first unsteady steps. A friend’s laugh, a heartfelt hug, or a happy ending. A brilliant sunset, a first kiss, or the words “I do”. Or commonplace moments like that first sip of morning coffee, a stranger’s smile, or a birdsong.

All of them, holy moments at risk of being drowned out by background noise. Minor things that should remain in the periphery, sabotaging and stealing space they were never meant to occupy.

We suffocate beauty with our stuffed schedules, anxious thoughts, and our what-ifs. We rush past magnificent, memory-making moments meant to stop us in our tracks. Amid our striving, we forget to grow still enough to absorb everyday blessings. So many God-entrusted presents we were only partly present for.

Oh, I’ve been guilty of sprinting through life, the moments melding and blurring into one another like the brushstrokes on a Monet. I would do well to lasso the moments, quiet myself long enough to be saturated by wonder, and still myself long enough to soak in all the God-intended gifts. I’m still learning how. But even blended Monets, like our imperfectly captured lives, are an absolute marvel to behold—along with new grandbabies!

With my sudden introduction to grandmotherhood (still trying to settle on my title), I may naturally subdue. After all, holding a baby is a sure way to slow down. But I’m wondering if grandparenting makes it all become busier—yet another stage in learning to slow down while it all speeds up.

What I’m trying to say is, let’s not miss these holy moments. Let’s taste and see that God is good. Let’s listen to His love song playing in and all around us. Let’s find a way to say thank you both in the beautiful bits and when it hurts a little. Let’s find something to celebrate whether we must make ourselves dance in a puddle of tears, or on the days we get to kick off our shoes and run headlong onto a sandy, sun-saturated beach.

Let’s dive in and fully embrace this one earthly life we’ve been given because let’s face it, you were born on purpose for a purpose!

While you embrace that fact, I’ll be embracing the miracle that is my new grandson!

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

Psalm 34:8