I recently read a story of an empty nester whose daughter had a mental breakdown soon after giving birth to her son.  Where was the little boy going to go?  He couldn’t live with a mom who was more into chasing  fantasies than looking after a baby.  A mom who ended up having to live in an institution. 

The 50 something empty nester did the only thing she could do…she adopted her then newborn grandson and started all over.  When other women her age were tasting the freedom that comes with grown children, she was called to unexpectedly lay that all aside.  Her life once again became that of a young mom.

The payoff  in the end, she says, is she gets to know her grandson more intimately than most grandmothers and she calls him her son.  She gets to be the one who is given waves from the stage at school recitals, the one to cheer him on at sporting events.  She has embraced her life’s calling, saving her grandson from what could have been a terrible future in the process.

Aside from the fact that I admire this woman greatly for deciding to adopt her grandson, I think this story can serve as a good lesson for younger moms like myself as well.  To embrace the incredible blessing of being able to know your children intimately.  To live a life before them that speaks of loving others before yourself like this woman obviously does.   To put aside selfishness and what might be vain pursuits if that is the calling God poses.   Humanly big, impossible possibilities might knock at our door step and I’m thinking if we’re not practising now, we may not have the right response.

And one little boy will always know love because his grandmother knew someone had to be his mother!

Micah…I see my dad in these pictures!

Walking to church…

Easter Sunday meal with our dear friends The Hoyts