I wonder if any of my followers (all three of you!) realize that this blog is one year old?!? October 31 of 2013 was my first entry. Since then, I managed to post at least once each month, except for last month. I am proud that I continue to post here and that there are at least a few folks who read what I write. It is my intention to continue to write and maybe become a bit more prolific. But I can't promise, so don't hold your breath!
Perhaps my lack of productivity last month is a result of being away from home. And why, you might ask, was I away? Our daughter Leah, and her husband had their second child, a sweet, precious little girl. So I went to North Carolina to spend two weeks with their wonderful family, helping them transition from a family of three to a family of four, meeting my newest grand-daughter, playing with her 19 month old big sister, caring for our daughter, and watching in awe as our son-in-law put the finishing touches on a beautiful big girl bed he custom built for daughter number one.
As a mom, I didn't think I could be prouder than I was on the day of parent teacher conferences when Leah's kindergarten teacher told Mark and I that she was a very kind child; her teacher would often pair Leah with a student who needed help and confidence, she told us, because Leah was so good with her.
I was a little more proud when Leah was announced as the recipient of both the Student Choice Award (voted on by her classmates) and the Outstanding 8th Grader Award (voted on by the teachers). These awards showed Leah was well-liked and respected by her peers, as well as by those educators she learned from every day.
I was really proud when Leah qualified for the state track meet all four years of high school, when she was selected as the outstanding senior in her graduating class, when she gave one of two graduation speeches, when she got accepted to UW-Madison, and when she received the Dean's Prize in the College of Letters and Science at UW, one of only three awarded among the 4000 members of the 2011 graduating class.
Mark and I were happy and proud walking down the aisle with Leah on her wedding day. As she approached the alter of our Catholic church to share the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony with her soon to be husband, I could not stop smiling and thanking God for the blessing of this daughter of ours, this special, special child. Yes, I was proud.
I didn't think I could be prouder than on that wedding day...but I am. It was my honor to spend the last two weeks at our daughter's home; to see her and her loving husband work as a team to figure out what their newborn daughter needed; to watch them love each other and love their girls, in spite of severe sleep deprivation; to hear them laugh together, share quiet conversations, and exercise patience when explaining for the 100th time to their 19 month old why she can't hold the baby right now!
It is true what 'they' say about being a grandparent; It really is THE BEST. In my opinion, it is the best, not only because you get to see a brand new life of which you had a tiny hand in creating. But you also get to see your child, the child you parented, parent! That is worth repeating. You get to see your child, the child you parented, parent! It really is a privilege. It really is amazing. Sometimes, it is almost unbelievable.
So I am a proud grandma...and my daughter? Well, she is remarkable!
