Today I will be heading north to help with a vintage baby shower. It's for my niece, Autumn. She and her husband are going to be welcoming a daughter right before Christmas.
This makes me happy, but yet nostalgic.
And a bit melancholy.
And a bit excited.
Nostalgic, because I remember when Autumn was a little tiny baby herself, with her brown hair and pretty brown eyes, and I just can't believe she's going to be a mommy herself! It just doesn't seem possible!
Melancholy because I am old, and this proves it.
Excited for the new grandchild coming to my sister and her husband.
The page they are about to see turn.
The new chapter they are about to see written.
Grandparent-hood is grand.
And I am excited for my sister, because she's about to find out about one of the pure and unequaled pleasures in life.
Entering the realm of feeling so happy that you stuck it out, together, with your mate -- all for this: all that travel that was sometimes rough, all of it required make it to this wonderful place, the intersection of Happiness and Joy.
We can look backward and see the hard work.
We can look down the road and see the payoff.
That's why they call it grand.
The fun is just beginning.
All that hard work required to be a wife, a husband, and all that toil that is parenting boils down to this, PURE JOY.
The good stuff you harvest after keeping those vows, even when it was hard and life made absolutely NO sense.
For making it through those teenage years, when you wondered if it would do you in.
For the day-to-day-minutiae, wondering all the while if any of it really, truly mattered.
Arguing with yourself if it really counted or not, asking yourself if you were sane when you committed for life.
Turns out, that your babies bringing their babies home to you, to both of you, IS worth it all.
There's nothing like the joy of all discovering together all those unknown things about this beautiful new human: the tiny hands, tiny toes, a tiny mouth, and that tiny body--who she favors, how much of your own child you can see in this little one.
The trust.
The total dependency.
And the feeling of knowing that you all made it to this point together--to welcome a sparkling and new generation to your family--with LOVE.
7 comments:
OMG...you made me cry.
We are in one of those dry spells...getting ready to celebrate 18-years of marriage, yet only at the "raising babies" part...ages 1, 4, and 7. Wondering if life will ever slow down...will the fire hubby ever be home...will I ever have a manicure again w/o poop under my nails?
Thanks for the reminder that in the blink of an eye, things change again! And to think one does it by staying true to their vows...
beautiful.
Oh I feel the same way! We are fixin' to celebrate our 29th anniversary and our daughter is getting married in 2 months. No matter how "happy" I might be with someone else no one else on earth shares these memories of that precious little girl ( and oh yes difficult teen- haha). Times like these make all the sticking it our worthwhile. I think the door must luck better to EVERYONE sometime or other. Have a blessed day! Angela
Congrats to the mama to be....Great post, so inspirational and just down right lovely! Xoxoxo 1942charm.blogspot.com
This is SO lovely! My little girl is only 9, but I am already tearing up just thinking of when this time comes… Thanks for the beautiful thoughts and pictures. xo Helena
Loved every word Joni...you have a gift. Keep on sharing.
Sweet sweet post, Joni! Thank you for it!
Thank you. I can't read your words without crying. This is an amazing time and it's hard to imagine all the ways being grandparents will enrich our lives! We are so excited... and you knew we wouldn't be far behind you in being grandparents because we've always copied you, LOL!
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