Getting older comes with many ups and downs. You begin to slow down, your joints start to creak, the list goes on. However, it’s also a time when you begin to look forward to new joys, like becoming a grandparent. I have always relished being a mother and could not wait to be a grandmother. I watched several of my friends take on this new role and saw the joy they experienced. I often wondered if it would feel the same for me.
It absolutely did.
I will never forget the moment my son and daughter-in-law told me they were expecting. I cried. I had no words. I was overwhelmed with emotion. I felt a joy I had never known before and a deep sense of gratitude that I would be here to meet this child and watch them grow. This has been my reaction every time they have announced the next blessing.
But nothing prepared me for the pure love that would wash over me when I met them for the first time.
A grandchild is a mixture of all those you love in your life, a sprinkle of their parents, aunties, uncles, and grandparents, all melded together to form this perfect human being. Of course, as they grow they become their own unique person… they certainly are more than the sum of their parts.
As a grandparent, there is also the joy of watching your own children become parents. Your heart aches for them during the hard times, but then you see them grow, learn, and rise to the occasion. You are filled with pride for the adults and the parents they have become.
One of my greatest joys has been watching my grandchildren find God guided by their parents, singing songs and praying together. They welcome God with a special innocence, an openness that allows His love to fill their hearts abundantly and without question.
Becoming a grandparent has not only enriched my life with love and laughter but has deepened my spiritual journey. Watching the next generation grow in faith is a legacy I cherish. As we hold their hands, we are reminded that in their tiny hands we hold the future. In their laughter, we find healing. And in their love, we are made whole. I treasure every moment, every hug, every memory.
Pauline McGuire (Grandma)
Josephite Companion