30 Days of Beauty-Day 17: First Birthdays

There's something special about birthdays when you are a child.  You can't wait for your next birthday.  It fills you with hope, laughter, and joy.  However, there is something beautiful about a first birthday!

Today is my grandson's first birthday.  We had a special party with friends and family to celebrate this weekend.  It was such fun!  It was a gorgeous day so we were able to spend the afternoon on our deck.  Family and friends mingled and chatted.  Kids played on the swing set in our yard or with the toys on the deck.

Food was shared, and of course, there was birthday cake.  We all surrounded my grandson, Tyler, as he was given his own special birthday smash cake.  Many pictures and videos were taken as he first delicately tasted the cake-then grabbed with his fists.  We all laughed as he smiled with his cake-smeared face and raised his arms, "Hooray!"!

Tyler's older sister, Abbey, practiced saying "Happy Birthday" for days.  She also helped pick out balloons for the occasion.  Abbey had her own special balloon for the day: Elmo, her personal favorite.  She enjoyed the day a lot!

First birthdays are very special.  They are close enough to that miraculous day when a new life joined our family.  It is a time for parents to reminisce about the birth of their child.  It is a time for family to pour over pictures chronicling the milestones of the year.  Most important: it is a time to celebrate a job well done in raising this baby into a toddler.




There is great joy in this accomplishment as we all join together as a family and look ahead to many birthdays to come.

Happy Birthday, Tyler!

Have you found your joy today?

30 Days of Beauty-Day 3: A Child's Laughter

Tonight I was sitting by my grandson, Tyler, while his mother was cooking dinner.  (We take turns cooking, and it was her night.)  I remember how difficult it is to cook when you have very young children.  Tyler is not quite a year old.  He is a cheerful, engaging little boy, but he does not have a long attention span due to his age.  So, I was sitting with him to keep him entertained.

We were singing, clapping, looking at pictures on my iPhone, but after a while, he wanted to be with his mom.  That is when I decided to try a new form of entertainment: putting my mouth on his arm and blowing!  Tyler started giggling.  His laughter was so contagious.  All of us started smiling.  Tyler continued to put his arm out toward me and wait.  As I got closer, the giggling would start, and then he would break out in laughter once I blew on his arm.  It was a beautiful experience and started me thinking about life with my grandchildren.

A month ago, my son and his family moved in with us.  We now have 7 of us living in our house: my husband and myself, our 23 year old son who is in college, our 26 year old son, his wife, their 2 1/2 year old daughter, and their 11 1/2 month old son.  We are a busy household, but it is a lot of fun.  Today's experience reminded me that I now laugh daily.

Hearing a child laugh is truly a thing of beauty!  It is infectious and will undoubtedly bring a smile to your lips. My grandchildren (particularly my granddaughter, Abbey) laugh a lot!  She has such joy in the world around her.  She is at the age when she gives a running commentary of her day.  Now that I see her everyday, I understand most of what she says.  She makes me laugh!

The next time that you are around children-a park, a school, a family's home-take some time to listen to the sound of children's laughter.  I promise it will make you smile and bring you joy.

Have you found your joy today?

30 Days of Joy: Day 22-Thankful

I am very happy, because I saw a lot of people I care about today.  My morning started by spending time with my granddaughter while her parents and 5-day-old brother went in for his first checkup.  She sat on the couch with me and cuddled while we read books and looked at pictures on my iPhone.  I later was able to hold my grandson and check in with my son and his wife on their week as parents of two.  Hugs all around as I left was a perfect ending to my early morning visit.

In the middle part of my day, my husband dropped in for lunch which was a surprise.  I don't usually get hugs in the middle of the day.  Later my younger son was chatting with me as he got ready for work.  He was a lifesaver this morning at 2:00 AM when my consulting files became corrupt just as I finished my project.  He saved the day by restoring almost all of my documents.  I had also, fortunately, printed a copy right before this happened; so between my hard copy and the restored file, I was able to complete my project and submit it to the company today.  Thanks for the save, Dane!

I received a phone call from my good friend and former boss this afternoon with an invitation to get together this weekend.  Unfortunately, it didn't work out, but we were able to share our stories about our newborn grandchildren with promises to make a lunch date in July.

This evening my husband and I met my former co-workers from HR at Brit's Pub.  While he lawn bowled, I spent the evening catching up with these wonderful people I worked with before I retired.  I enjoy them so much and miss seeing them on a daily basis.  I had a lovely evening talking with them about their lives.  I left with many promises to get together again.

After leaving downtown Minneapolis, we drove to the Anoka County Fairgrounds to say hello to our friends who are participating in the Relay for Life sponsored by the American Cancer Society.  We wanted to show our support.  I'm so glad we went because it was an awe-inspiring sight.  What a great way to remember loved ones who have lost and won their battle with cancer!  Many hugs were exchanged, and I had a great conversation with dear friends.


I am very thankful that I have such caring people in my life.  This has brought me great joy today.  Thank you to everyone who shares their lives with me.





Have you found your joy today?

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.)