Isn't She Grand?

grand

adjective, grander, grandest.

1.

impressive in size, appearance, or general effect:

grand mountain scenery.

2.

stately, majestic, or dignified:

In front of an audience her manner is grand and regal.

3.

highly ambitious or idealistic:

grand ideas for bettering the political situation.

4.

magnificent or splendid:

a grand palace.

5.

noble or revered:

a grand old man.

6.

highest, or very high, in rank or official dignity:

a grand potentate.

7.

main or principal; chief:

the grand ballroom.

For any soul out there who has had a mother of of the Grand variety in her possession at any point of her life, let's pause to count her as one of our very dearest blessings. 

There are many luxuries a mom cannot afford, such as hindsight, space to spoil or time to indulge. The margins of motherhood often are pushed close to the limits of sanity, and when they are, one of the sweetest gifts is the willing heart and open arms of the woman from whom has been there and done that. I write this knowing that few are the women who can count on the buffer that is a loving mother-turned-grandmother. This is why I wish I could create a career out of matching lonely older ladies with overwhelmed young mama's. There is gold to be found in the crisscrossing of generations, especially where the rearing of children are concerned. I was one of the fortunate ones, who have been both the recipient of living loved in the generous presence of my grandmothers and the one who now has a mother who is always willing to come alongside and help when my grip on the rope of reality is slipping. No amount of monetary value can be attached to such gifts.

Tonight, both gladness and sadness keep me company. One of these two grandmothers who's life's light has been shining bright into my life all of my life to this point is making a slow transition to the rest, the very best part, of her life in her True Home. Her body is fading, but her spirit stays steady as she settles deeper into a faith that has kept her feet from faltering during her life in this land of pain. It is hard to imagine a world in which she is not in it and yet...by her faithfulness to God and to the building of her family, she has woven herself intrinsically into countless fibers of my daily living, so much so, that it will be impossible for the light of her life to be extinguished by her mere physical absence.

Four generations. 1977.

I sometimes struggle with feeling I am without much talent or skill to offer the world, and yet when I consider the front row seat I've had to the power of a woman dedicated to keeping her family founded and her faith secure, it becomes clear that talent or skill are a distant second to the rippling effects which propel from a centered woman, such has been my grandma. 

During these days which she will look back on as the last stages of labor into the reality both she and we were made for, I am fairly certain she is feeling the waves of love which lap against her by the children and grandchildren and great-children whose lives have been indelibly impacted by hers. 

Who we are and how we love weighs far more than any special skill or talent. Whether we have family or we create it, the choice to engage in the loving and supporting of those closest to us will be what counts in our final days. The bedtime bowls of cereal, the stickers at the bottom of a glass cup full of strawberry milk, the smell of perfumed bed sheets, the glow of a single candle in the center of the dining room table, the presents wrapped and waiting on top of plates on Christmas morning, the aroma of homemade sticky buns, the little purses filled with toys to play with at the restaurant, the orange jello molds at Easter, the pats on the knee and homemade chicken corn soup on a cold night...all the countless little things you do for the little children in your life will be the things that stitch "I love you" into their hearts forever and ever. 

The light which comes from a life fully invested showing love in countless little ways will be the one that never, ever stops shining brightly in the lives of it's recipients. 

Tonight, I sit in the glow of such a love. 

Grateful am I. 

Thank you, Grand Mother.