We are visiting in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, where son Jerry and his wife Teresa have a lovely old home on the ocean. Such a joy to be here and the joy was intensified when the first afternoon here, we learned that granddaughter Emily, who was pregnant with our first great grandchild, had gone into labor. When we went to bed that night, our son Jerry said he would text us with any baby arrival news. Since this was a first child we knew that news could be hours away. And so when I made a middle of the night bathroom visit, I was not really expecting any phone texts and was beside myself with excitement on learning that sweet baby Sofia Lily had already arrived to capture our hearts.
What does it mean to be a great- grand parent? We are excited to be learning about this special phase of life. Is it the same as being a grandparent? We have been truly blessed with our eighteen grandchildren – nine boys and nine girls – and are in awe of the amazing adults they are becomimg. Emily and David are an awesome couple and it seems only fitting that Emily as our first grandchild has now birthed our first great grandchild. We were so excited and felt so blessed when our five children were born. I was worried that we would not feel the same excitement with having grandchildren. It was wasted worry.
Each grandchild is a special joy. But I wondered what our connection would be to a great grandchild. It was another case of wasted worry. The fourty eight hours since the arrival of Sofia Lily have been a period of wonder, joy and continuous excitement. Son Jerry flew to California to meet his first grandchild. It has been such a gift to share in the family joy at her birth.
As Jerry and I assume this new role of great grandparents I am reflecting on the two great aunts who were such a part of my growing years, Great Aunt Mary and Great Aunt Rose. They were sisters of my mother’s father. Great Aunt Mary’s husband had a publishing company and when he died Great Aunt Mary ran the company. And Mary and Rose lived together. We had other older relatives who also had the title of “great” but Mary and Rose were the two we saw the most. I loved them but was intimidated by their age. And now with the arrival of Sofie Lily, husband Jerry and I have the “great ” word attached to our relationship.
Have been looking at quotes that express our new relationship. This is the one that resonated with me. “Great-grandparents are just grandparents with a whole lot more experience and double the joy.”
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OctoBlogger 