(above oil painting by Gaye Lynne LeGuire...)
I've been going about the house, today, preparing to be a grandmother. My daughter Sarah and her Jonathan will become parents tomorrow. Aidyn Esther comes tomorrow afternoon. Tomorrow, a granddaughter is born, and so is a mother, a grandmother (yours truly), a great grandmother, and an auntie...
How does one prepare to be a grandmother? How...how...how...
I know what to do to prepare the house. I still have to clear out the fridge, sweep the floors, and make sure my little bag of power bars, knitting needles, yarn, and Diet Coke is packed - I'll be there, at the hospital tomorrow, per Sarah's request.
I know how to prepare a home, but how do I prepare a heart? How do I prepare my heart for the birth of a Sunflower baby...my Summertime granddaughter? How do I get ready again to step seamlessly into what I now know for sure to be the sweetest role I will play in all of life?
I wear a lot of hats, have worn many in my history, but this hat of "grandmotherhood" is by far the most joyful and delightful. How do I prepare my heart to meet a small Someone who I will love till the day I leave earth for heaven...and then beyond? How do I prepare to look into her eyes...this sequel-daughter (grand daughter) who I have prayed for since before she was even conceived, and will cherish for all eternity? Relationships are eternal.
How do I go about the mundane preparations for this sort of glory?
Life really is all about maintenance. Even on the eve of weddings and births, even on the day after death, there must be clean clothes and warm meals and physical comfort given to the people I love. Such is the Life of Woman. Ask me how I know.
Somehow, my heart assimilates. Somehow, my mind is slowly wrapping itself around the fact that God is the God of the New Thing. And New overlaps Old, always. One must always be cleaning up around the edges, where Old and New have collided. One must always be ready to tend to the business of tidying up in the place of transition, while simultaneously airing out the chambers of the heart...letting the breeze of newness freshen old routines and mindsets.
I've heard it said that women wear lots of hats. Well, this particular "hat" has been waiting for me, in its box, since the moment I gave birth to this daughter of mine and her sister.
Today I get the hat out. I admire its loveliness. Yes, this hat suits me. I think I will look just fine in this hat called "Aidyn's Mimi".
Tomorrow, I put on the hat for the very first time.
For the rest of my life, I will wear that hat with obnoxious pride.
