Motherhood, with all of its mountains, deserts, and valleys has, without a doubt, brought one of the three greatest blessings and satisfactions of my life. Until two years ago, it would have been counted as one in two. However, our arms and hearts were filled with a blessed bundle of joy and, in moments, my two became three. It was at the birth of our grand-daughter.
We recently celebrated the national holiday when everyone and everything seems to stop, smack still in their tracks, to honor Moms. I have to admit that not only do I enjoy lavishing that honor on my own Mom, grandmothers, and those I’ve considered my “other” moms, I enjoy all the fanfare that comes with acknowledging and honoring yours truly.
This year, in particular, marked a most quintessential memory. Why? I received my first card, as a Nonna, bearing my Princess’ artwork. Allow me to set the stage: From the moment I took it out of the mailbox, through its opening and reading, my eyes were wide and my heart ecstatic. The wonder-that I remembered from acts of love, more than 30 years ago, were right there in my hands, all over again, providing a rush and excitement that I never deemed possible, three decades later.
Thankfully, I did adjust. Now, here I stood – my mind swirling in the joys as well as the demands of going to and fro in the swirl of youthful activity such as soccer, T-ball, softball, art lessons, piano lessons, wrestling, basketball, and the many hours of practice. In the midst of all of this, I’m seeing ever so clearly that the memories are for grandparents to pass them on, in order that this little one can enjoy the stories about her or his parent as well as the grandparent(s).
Amazon and Etsy offer good selections for purchasing grandparent journals. While I currently have one grandchild, should I have more, my plan is to provide each of them with a grandparent journal of their own. And, incidentally, I’m loving the fact that I have so many wonderful memories to jot, bind, and then send to live somewhere else. It’s amazing to hear myself.
Those who told me that I would welcome and cherish my empty nest were totally correct. So, I say the same thing to those who, like me and so many others, may be struggling. Like so many other things in our lives, empty nest adjustment is a process. It is indeed a metamorphosis that leads to full breasts. Be assured, you will land safe, strong, and experience even a fuller life.
