I am not sure anyone dreams about becoming a grandparent specifically, but there is a time in your life when you start to miss the parenting part of who you were. The squeals and grunts of a baby, warm and cuddly in your arms, the sloppy kisses of a toddler, the funny antics of the very young...the best parts of watching your own children grow up. I knew we were ready to be grandparents when I saw other babies with their grandparents and felt that tug at my heart every so quietly.
However, there are no words to express what happens when a tiny bundle of baby is placed in your arms and you recognize your legacy. The familiarity of holding this child of your child, so new, so full of promise. The beauty of new life. Sensing the future that will leave you behind but live on in this beautiful child. Life comes full circle again, and it feels so extraordinary, that tears are the only answer. Tears of pure joy.
We know we love endlessly. We have the capability to love beyond all limits of human understanding. And it is in that moment of holding my grandson, that I felt joy, love, and gratitude rush through me and out of me. I don't think I can ever forget that feeling, nor do I want to. And as he grows and changes, I will delight in each and very moment with him, celebrating his journey in ways I couldn't with my own children. We are so responsible for our own offspring, stewing, worrying, reprimanding, guiding, that I would find myself lost in seeing the forest for the trees. Nevermore. This child is our reward for all that hard work, and watching my own child parent could be one of the most affirming experiences of my life.
If I could bottle this, I could create world peace.
