Category Archives: Grandparenting

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While Linnea gets to know her 3rd child, this grandma is having fun with the 1st and 2nd. Yesterday, since rain eliminated playgrounds and neighborhood hikes, the 3 of us ventured out to the library. As we started our drive, I suggested we each name something we’d like to see during our morning together. “I hope I see a horse,” I said.

Skylar quickly chimed in. “I want to see a cow, brown and white.” She also spoke for Micah. “Micah wants to see a fire truck.”

“Big fire truck,” he added.

The gigantic library building captivated us from the time we pulled into the parking lot. Leave it to children to point out the important sights, like the traveling book-mobile. Driving up close to it, we took time to enjoy the painted books on its exterior and the real books visible through its windows. “Those are for children who don’t have cars and can’t drive here,” Skylar said. Not bad reasoning, for a 3 year old.

As we walked into the front entrance, a larger-than-life, brightly painted horse greeted us. “Look!” Skylar said. “Midgee, a horse!” And sure enough, it was.

The children’s section, dominating half of the ground floor, was packed with child-friendly computers, magnet boards, floor puzzles, puppets, books, and an encouraging staff. As we mouse-clicked on a screen to match up mommy and baby animals, suddenly we were looking at Skylar’s cow. Brown and white to boot.

Our 2 hours ran out before their interest did, and when I announced it was time to leave, both children resisted. Strong-willed Skylar seemed close to an outburst, and I wondered how I’d successfully get them to the car.

Just then the entire library went dark, a power outage from God. Skylar jumped up, grabbed my hand and said, “It’s dark! Let’s go!”

Taking young children on an outing that’s been arranged completely for their benefit can be either a dream or a nightmare. I wonder if God sometimes plans good things strictly for our benefit and is disappointed when our responses flip-flop. “Yes, Lord, you blessed us with a sunny day, but now it’s too hot.” Or, “Sure, you gave me a new job, but now I don’t like my boss.”

Receiving what we’re given without wanting to tweak it is a skill gained only through resolute practice. With little children, we sometimes have to take good gifts away from them for the sake of teaching. And God sometimes takes away our sunny day, a new job, or any other blessing we will only appreciate by losing it.

Skylar, Micah and I were grateful (for different reasons) to quickly exit the dark library. And once in the car, as I was clicking Micah’s seat belt, a red fire truck drove right past us, sirens blaring, horns honking, and God blessing us 100%.

“Big fire truck!” Micah added.

“We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. If we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” (1 Timothy 6:7-8)

Wonder of Wonders

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When a woman is 9 months pregnant, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind a baby will soon be born. But when a woman is 9 months and 7 days pregnant, everyone begins to wonder (especially the mother) if she’ll be pregnant forever.

Linnea woke this morning feeling fine on her regular 6:00 am walk but by 7:30 was wondering whether or not today might be D-day. When I came out of my room at 7:45, we chatted about several other things while Skylar and Micah played nearby, and then she brought up the situation.

Since she and Adam were hoping to have the baby in the comfort of their own home this time around, we decided it would be wise to call the midwives, located an hour away. Adam was at work, and the children’s other grandma, their babysitter for the day of birth whenever it arrived, was 45 minutes away.

At 9:00 am Linnea decided she was in labor. By 10:00 Adam was home, the children were gone, but the midwives and doula (Adam’s sister Aron) were still at large. It looked like Linnea, Adam and I would be meeting the baby by ourselves, and although Adam and I shared a few panicky glances, we never let the laboring Linnea see or hear our nervousness. I asked him for their turkey baster (for suctioning) and he whispered, “The midwives don’t do that.” And that was the end of our collective baby delivery knowledge.

At 10:27, the midwife arrived literally 5 seconds ahead of baby Autumn Faith, just in time to make the catch without taking off her jacket or putting on sterile gloves. Linnea, Adam and I simultaneously burst into tears of joy and relief while the midwife calmly took care of business. Aron walked in during baby’s first cry, and the second midwife a few minutes after that.

There is no greater miracle than a baby being brought into the world, and hours later our awe was still intense as we marveled at what had happened.

We wondered how anyone could participate in a birth and separate the process from God himself. Only he could put together what we witnessed this morning. Only he could design the intricacies of a new baby’s body, equipping it to change seamlessly from living in a watery world to breathing air. And only he could establish an eternal soul within that body, creating a person who will live eternally, because he made it so.

Tonight we are still in a collective daze, all of us brimming with good cheer, not just because a child has been born but because we were allowed to participate in the wonder of what God accomplished in our midst. Our celebratory toast included lavish prayers of gratitude, and since the pressure was off, the pregnancy was over, and the baby was safely delivered, a heartfelt Scripture:

“The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul.” (Proverbs 13:19a)

Thank you, Lord.

A Grand Opportunity

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Scripture is dotted with verses expressing the intensity of God’s love for people. And he has a special love relationship with those who follow him wholeheartedly and do their best to obey his commands.

Although I would never claim to understand the depth of his love for me, this week I’m getting a taste of intense love in the company of young Nicholas, Evelyn and Thomas, my 3 little British grands. The 4 of us recently spent a day with their other grandma, “Dandy”, playing together while their mummy took some much needed time for other things.

Our well-oiled grannie machine, Team Gran UK, operated at full power as we trucked the children here and there on a cold rainy day and whiled away the afternoon playing childish games in front of a parlor fire at Dandy’s house. While our little darlings played, we grandmas talked about the intensity of love we feel for our shared grands, different than mother-love and in a sense larger, because we’re allowed to be less taken with the here-and-now and more focused on the big picture.

God’s love is larger still, though. After all, he says it’s “as great as the height of the heavens.” (Psalm 103) His love is vast, larger than any of us can possibly experience, but maybe through grandchild-loving he does let us get a glimpse of it.

There is one other radical difference between God and us in terms of loving grandchildren: he doesn’t have any.

Each person who puts their trust in the Lord is reborn directly to him. He’s their Father, and Jesus is their brother. Christianity doesn’t filter through the generations by heredity, nor does it get passed along by family tradition. It doesn’t get watered down as oral history might, and it doesn’t become contaminated by over-use. Each conversion experience is brand-spankin’ new and pure, on its own.

I’m puzzled, however, by a couple of verses in the same Psalm that refer to spiritual grandchildren: “The love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments.” (vv. 17-18)

Children’s children? Aren’t those grandchildren? What does he mean?

Maybe he’s highlighting the precious privilege we grandparents have to model godliness for our grandchildren and to faithfully pray for them. Though our lives will eventually blow away like dust on a blustery day, our positive influence can continue through generations. In other words, nurturing our grands today can actually affect future relatives we’ll never meet.

And that puts a whole new light on Team Gran playing childish games with children in front of a warm fire on a cold winter day.

“He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.” (Deuteronomy 7:9)