14 days ago I became a grandmother for the 1st time. I watched my beautiful daughter and worried son-in-law bring a beautiful baby boy into the world (no I wasn't in the room the whole time, I waited in a waiting room filled with other expectant grandparents and siblings).
I didn't get to see my grandson immediately due to a complication that was known about prior to the birth, but I visited him the next day in the ccvcu. He's very cute even while hooked up to many monitors, tubes and i.v. lines and no I'm not just saying that because his my grandson, I am saying that because yes he's my grandson, but that's what many of the residents, nurses, p.as. and doctors have said.
As I sat in the unit looking down on my grandson, who just happened to smile up at me (i'm going to believe that until the day I die), I wondered what my parents would have felt if they were still alive, I wondered whether they have the power to intercede on the baby's behave to insure successful outcomes.
There have been times in my life that I have questioned my belief structure, but as I look around at the beauty that surrounds me each and every day I have to believe that there is a reason for joy when we truly need it most.
One of the days as I was walking towards to the hospital I stopped to watch a toddler revelling in the pure joy of playing in the puddles on the sidewalk, he was adorably decked out in rain boots and a yellow slicker with cat ears on top and for 4-5 minutes he just stomped in the puddles with his mother standing off to the side watching her son filled with joy and happiness. I was amazing that the people round didn't stop to watch this, they were to busy on their phones, or walking with quickend steps wrapped in their own worlds to see the joy in that one simple moment.
In these days of autumn with leaves changing, turbulent times in the world, I am more convinced than ever before that our survival will only be determined by what joy, beauty and serenity we can bring into our daily lives.
So if you come upon a toddler jumping for joy in puddles, stop and find your own joy, jump in a puddle, smile at your children/grandchildren for no particular reason, put down your phone and look out at the sunny day or the clouds or the rain, sigh and smile.
We need to take time during our turbulent lives to locate our joy, find our smile, this will help locate your serenity.
May our lives be filled with joy and serenity.
