People would tell me about how grandchildren steal your heart, change your life and provide unending opportunities to "do over" and "do more" with the knowledge we now have as parents. But, I must say, that you cannot really grasp these feelings until it happens to you. Seeing my son gaze at his daughter while holding her pinky and feeding her; my daughter-in-law sleeping with her little one on her chest. These pictures filled me with such emotion and immediately took me on a trip back in time to my own birth experience. I looked at the photos and cried. Tears of joy, love and pride, mixed in with sadness because I was not able to hug the new parents and hold this precious gift from God. After a bit, I pulled myself together and started to think. So many questions popped into my head, like:
How am I going to show her all the love I have to give when I'm so far away?
How can I hear her laugh, dry her tears, give her a hug or words of encouragement?
How can I effectively provide "Nana" support to my son and daughter-in-law from afar?
How do other Nana's and Grandpa's feel that are far away from their loved ones and what have they done to ease the anxiety of separation?
Needless to say, I would love the support, ideas and thoughts of other first time Nana's out there that are going through the same thing. I welcome the advice and sharing from experienced Nana's and hope that this blog can offer a "quilt" of ideas, thoughts and creations that form the blanket of love, support, security and warmth that our grandchildren will treasure for a lifetime.
Meanwhile, what is my next move? Fostering a continuing, mutually respectful relationship with my sewing machine. We have grown apart a bit due to my busy work schedule, but I'm hoping to become more regimented and make time to create some of the ideas I have swimming in my head.
If you have ideas, thoughts, advice, or questions, please share! Grandparents play a critical role in our children's lives and no one person can do this by themselves. The Lord has blessed us with this special gift and I pray He gives us all the wisdom, guidance and perseverance to be that Nana or Grandpa we need to be. Looking forward to hearing from you. Until next time . . .
