30 Days of Joy: Day 18-Children

Needless to say, I have been thinking about children a lot lately.  This probably comes as no surprise if you read my post on June 17.  On that day, my grandson was born, and I was spending my day with my granddaughter.  She and I had a lot of fun together: watching Elmo on Sesame Street, playing zoo animals, singing songs, dancing to music, reading books, and building block towers.  During our time together, I got a lot of cuddles and kisses.  She also learned how to drink out of a straw because she liked grandma's cup with straw so much.

I believe that children epitomize joy!  It starts with the tremendous joy that we feel when they are born.  I remember how happy I was when my boys were born, and the births of my grandchildren have been joyous occasions.  I have always felt that the birth of a baby is such a miraculous event.  Meeting my grandson was a wonderful experience Sunday evening!

While having children is a joy-filled experience, children have such genuine joy about life.  My granddaughter laughs very easily.  Everything is exciting, interesting, and new.  She wakes up each day with a smile on her face-ready for new things.  As I mentioned, this weekend she learned how to drink using a straw.  Her delight in her accomplishment was evident as she laughed and clapped after each sip.  Her joy is obvious, natural, and spontaneous.  As parents, we watch our children explore the world, accomplish new things, and grow into adults.  While labor intensive and fraught with turmoil, tears and anxiety, this process ultimately brings us tremendous joy.

I now have the pleasure of watching my grown son as a parent.  His joy at the birth of his son and reuniting with his daughter makes me very happy, and his love and care for his wife and children makes me very proud.  I think that he is a wonderful young man and am pleased that he has given his son his name, Andrew, as a middle name.  Naming your child is a decision that parents agonize over as they await the birth of their baby.  My son and his wife have known for some time now that they were going to give their son Andrew as a middle name.  However, they haven't been sure what the first name should be.  They have had a list of choices but decided to wait to meet him before making a final decision.

Tyler Andrew

After meeting their new son, they made a very courageous, inspiring decision to name him after my son's best friend, Tyler.  This was a difficult decision because this friend died in a car accident a little over a year ago.  I know that my son still feels great sadness at this loss.  However, Tyler was a wonderful young man who was giving, loyal, personable, talented, and loved by many.  I believe that it is a great gift to my grandson to give him this name.  He will now create a new identity for the name, and my son will smile as he watches his new Tyler grow to be a fine young man.  I am filled with joy at this choice, am proud of my son and his wife for the naming of my grandson, and look forward to many hours of joy with my grandchildren. 

Have you found your joy today?

(I was hoping to write this post last night before going to sleep, but I was exhausted; as a result, this post is a bit late.)