Windows to a Grandparents Heart

Tonight we had supper with my sister and her family, Rita and her husband Andrew, her daughter Kelsey and her boyfriend Travis and her son’s daughter Ava.  Ava is 5 years old two years younger than my granddaughter Hailey. 

I remember the first time I saw Ava.  She was a baby being carried in her grandfather’s arms at Dan and my wedding.  She was so little.  And Andrew so smitten with that small bundle.  His eyes lit-up as she lay nestled against him.

I have seen this tender look before in the eyes of another man.  I saw that soft sweet expression every time Dan was with Hailey.   Both of these men held these small beings in their large calloused hands.  Smiling, as they hardly breathed.  You could see their hearts open and overflowing in the presence of their granddaughters.

One of my favorite snapshots was taken the day Hailey was born.  Dan is enthralled,as he gazes down at her tiny face.  The room light shimmers as he holds this wondrous gift.  His smile speaks of a secret only he knows.

Andrew once told me that he loved to just watch Ava sleep, marveling at her tiny fingers and toes.  I sat between my husband and Andrew tonight.  I watched him gaze at his wife and granddaughter with affection and tenderness. 

As I contemplate these scenes, my eyes grow misty.  We are so lucky to know this kind of love.  I know these little girls are blessed with the love of family.  There is something quite wonderful about a grandchild.

Here’s to the love of grandparents. I often joke that when I married Dan I gained a daughter and a son, but best of all I got a granddaughter without having to raise her parents.  Here’s to seeing through the windows of a grandparent’s heart.