A New Granddaughter and My Full and Grateful Heart
Oh, and a bit of survivor guilt too.
Hello, Dear Reader.
I’m so excited to share this week’s email with you. I have wonderful news to tell you about. Believe me, I realize I frequently write about serious, heavy topics, so it’s fun to share about something completely wonderful.
Wonderful things can be something big like the birth of a new granddaughter, but sometimes something wonderful can be as simple as gazing at a sunrise or sunset, watching your pet do a silly thing, or reading an amazing book.
I would LOVE it if you shared about something wonderful that’s happened in your life or that you are doing — whether it be something big or something small. So be sure to share in the comments. I can’t wait to hear from you.
Now, let’s get to my new article and that wonderful news!
A New Granddaughter and My Full and Grateful Heart
Recently, Dear Hubby and I returned from a trip out West to meet our new granddaughter. Of course, we were there to see the rest of Dear Granddaughter’s family too, but meeting her was our top priority this trip.
Grandma duty is pretty awesome. It was great fun (and a fair amount of work) helping care for an active two-year-old big brother and our new tiny bundle of happiness. Dear Daughter and Dear Son-in-law will be very busy in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead.
Newborns (and toddlers, too) require intense focus and attention. Their needs take priority. Caring for them is demanding and exhausting. But therein also lies their greatest gift, or one of them anyway.
Caring for them means phones get set aside. The dishwasher doesn't get unloaded until you run out of space to put the dirty dishes and can’t find any clean forks. You squeeze a shower in at the oddest times of day. Your to-do lists get put on hold. Heck, your newborn and toddler are your to-do lists. Everything else can, must, and does wait. It's at times surprising (and overwhelming) the amount of control such tiny humans have in a household.
That’s just one of the reasons pitching in was amazing, fulfilling, and just plain wonderful. And also a privilege.
This grandma returned home with a very full and grateful heart, along with a bunch of priceless memories that’ll be with me forever.
One of those memories to cherish will be the newborn snuggles Dear Granddaughter and I shared. She won’t remember them, but I will. I’ll remember for both of us. And hopefully, one day I’ll get to tell her about them.
There is nothing like newborn snuggles. Nothing.
The tininess, warmth, vulnerability, newness, and yes, even those at times exasperating newborn cries, are all things to savor. In what seems like a blink of an eye, those precious, newborn moments are over.
To be sure, each stage of a young life is precious and fleeting, but there is something so special and magical about those early days and weeks. One of the greatest joys in life, for me anyway, has been newborn snuggles — the ones with my own babies and now, the ones I've been blessed to have with my three grandbabies.
I experienced moments of survivor guilt, too, while enjoying those newborn snuggles.
It’s not lost on me how lucky I am to still be here to enjoy such moments. Many in Cancer Land are not so fortunate. So many moms and grandmas (as well as dads, granddads, and others) are not given this luxury of time to spend with their children, grandchildren, and other loved ones.
So many lives have been ended too soon. Stolen by cancer. Young moms. Young grandmas. Way younger than me. Some known to me. Of course, most not.
Why them?
Why not me?
Cancer is an unfair and brutally cruel beast. A thief like none other.
I think of all those who cancer has robbed, and will rob. You bet I do. How could I not?
Every mom, every grandma diagnosed with cancer deserves moments like the ones I just experienced. Every Cancer Haver deserves special moments with their loved ones.
When feelings of survivor guilt bubble up, I remind myself to try and remember words I wrote in EMERGING:
“All we have is today. We have to make the most of it. After all, living our best lives is how we honor those who don’t survive.”
Believe it.
Live your best life.
Honor those who don’t survive.
This grandma intends to do these things with a full and grateful heart.
Three generations makes a full and grateful heart, for sure.
Gazing at a sunrise as beautiful as this is something pretty wonderful!
Yep. Watching your grand pups do something silly like playing tug-of-war with a stick is wonderful too.
How about three dogs, one stick? Dog antics never fail to bring a smile, and that itself is pretty darn wonderful, don’t you agree?
YOUR turn!
What is something wonderful (big or small) that’s happened in YOUR life recently — or not so recently?
Do you deal with survivor guilt, and if so, what’s your best tip for dealing with it?
If you like this post, thank you for liking and/or sharing it!
Commenting on my post encourages others to do the same and helps get conversations rolling. You are invited to respond to comments others share, too.
P.S. I wrote about survivor guilt in EMERGING. Click on the image below to order your copy today!
Have a great rest of your week! To my USA readers, have a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend.
Speaking of Memorial Day, 14 years ago I spent it preparing for my bilateral mastectomy — even though I had no idea how to do that. Who would?
Read more about that HERE or by clicking on the image below.
Thank you for being here with me. I’m so grateful for your readership and support.
As always, I see you. I hear you, and I care about what you have to say. This space is your community too.
Until next time…
With a full and grateful heart,
Nancy
Congratulations, Nancy, and I’m so glad you get to have those newborn snuggles. Get as many as you can! I hope you get lots of years with those grandkids as they grow!
Loved this, Nancy! Congratulations on your new granddaughter! I am a first time grandma (3 weeks now) and have plane tickets to visit my grandson at the end of June. Can't wait for those newborn-ish snuggles!