Grandpa Again

He's finally here. Elijah Ransom Ward, weighing in at 8lbs 13oz, arrived Thursday morning. He is absolutely wonderful.
I had the joy of taking his big brother, Dakota, to the room to meet the new arrival. I looked at my firstborn grandson just before entering the room and said, "When you walk through this door, you're life is never going to be the same." The fact is, all of our lives changed yesterday.

This is our second grandson and I have to say that there is just nothing quite like the feeling of peering into the face of a newborn grandchild. It is such a feeling of validation. It is one of God's special ways of letting us know that, despite all of our failings, we perhaps did something right. We got our children through those turbulent times on the road to adulthood and now, they have become responsible adults.
Elijah's middle name is Ransom, after my grandfather, Reverend R.W. Shores. He was the only one of her great-grandfathers that Heather remembers very much. PaPaw Shores was a wonderful man of God. He was known for his prayer life.
I had a special opportunity on Thursday. Elijah had been taken to the hospital's nursery for a check up and a bath. I was anxious and went for a stroll through the hospital hallway, when I happened on the newborn window. There he was, right in front of the window, all alone. He even turned toward the window and seemed to lock eyes with me. As I stood by the window, staring at that new bundle of potential, I began to reflect on the mysteries of life. No one else was around, so I began to speak out loud to my grandson. I asked him, "What will you become? An athlete? A teacher? A president? Or a preacher?"
I then told him, "The sky is the limit. You've been given a tremendous gift of life. Make the most of it, young man."