Gitchee Goo?

I got to attend the baby shower of a fabulous young woman today. She has been a friend of my daughter for a long time, originally meeting in church as a child and later through those fun days of high school. Sarah, the mom-to-be, still continuously volunteers to work around church and the community as well as venture out on week-long mission trips. Her behavior is one to be modeled.

Even if you don’t know me well, if I have ever nodded hello or grunted a greeting, you are aware of the fact that I am a grandmother of two fabulous grandsons. That might be partially due to my consistent topics of conversation. The speed of pulling out those candid photos is faster than those fancy NASCAR vehicles.  I couldn’t be prouder. I had never realized the joys that are involved with being the oldest of three generations. I love to be that model of unconditional love. Woo-hoo!

At the shower, you could see that magical twinkle in the eyes of the soon-to-be grandmothers. The miracle of a baby changes all of us. Our minds remain concentrated on those little fingers and toes. We somehow are able to pull out the plastic almost as fast as we can share those photos. Just look at those adorable clothes and cute toys! How can we resist. I can’t begin to delineate the multiple thrills when you see your daughter past plump with child. Their waddles bring out a pride that forever bursts from your heart.

There are so many items that a new mom needs that were not part of my generation’s motherhood. Since I already possess that role of grandmother, I could explain the special doughnuts that moms have to have circling their frames in order to feed their children. We were so goofy that we either used our biceps or substituted a couch pillow. We also tossed the dirty diapers in the trashcan instead of requiring the assistance of these special contraptions that encase the poopy things in plastic. We actually only possessed one stroller instead of one for jogging, another for the beach, a folded one for trips to the mall and sturdier ones for nice walks in the park. How in the world did we survive?

So it was great fun to reminisce with all of the other moms while getting to observe the thrill in the eyes of the moms-to be and those almost grandmothers. Today there was even the joys of a soon labeled great-grandmother. Can you imagine four generations? The drool from those of us over 50 who don’t yet have the knack of pulling out baby and toddler photos could almost be considered embarrassing.

God is pretty tricky. How can a little eight-pound bundle bring such joy? These pint-sized wonders chip away at even the hardest hearts until the tough adults bend down whispering little high-pitched gurgles. Where did “gitchee goo” come from? These wrinkled, red kiddos look good in layers of blubber and the females don’t even mind have a big derriere. Oh baby, life is good!

God Uses My Chronic Pain to Prove that Life is Good

        -  We can sometimes use those tiny giggles to smash our pain instead of resorting to medication.