Her name is Isla. She is beautiful, like her name. The derivation of my granddaughter's name is Scottish. "Isla" is an island off the coast of Scotland, and also two rivers in Scotland.
When I learned I was going to become a grandmother, there was a rebirth of sorts in my heart. As we parents all experience our children becoming adults, there is a sense of pride for them, but also a hole appears in the heart...a yearning for times gone by. I wrote a song called "Learning To Say Goodbye", and the refrain is "The swing is empty, the toys put away, maybe for the grand kids some day".......
The first time I saw little Isla, she was but 6 weeks old, and in the crib next to her Mommy. I didn't know what to expect when I first saw little Isla, but the moment is frozen in time. My son ,Andy, was standing next to me, the proud Daddy, and Kristi, the proud Mommy, was lying next to the crib while Isla slept. A dim light in the room shone on her beautiful face. I listened to her breath, touched her tiny hand and tears flowed down my face. I looked at Andy and Kristi, and saw a glimpse of eternity. The circle if life was complete for that moment in time.
Little Isla is now 16 months old and I will soon be on a plane to Tennessee to hold her again. The last time I saw her, she wasn't walking, and now, well let's just say by the videos I have seen, she is walking, dancing and seems to be very musical...which makes this grandma very happy. I am counting the seconds to hold them all again.
I was recently in a book store and randomly picked up a book and turned to a page with a quote that was written by a mother for her child and grandchild....It was no accident I opened to the page with the quote, "when you grew up, it became the Autumn of my life....when you had a child....Spring flowers once again bloomed"....my heart stopped for a moment...I couldn't have said it more profoundly...
If one day Isla reads her grandmother's blog, I hope she knows how loved she is. Life isn't always going to be easy. There will be trials , but there will also be joys beyond comprehension. So to my Isla " I want you to be strong like your name. Your soul is like an island paradise....beautiful, self sufficient and a haven from the storms. Like the rivers in Scotland, let your love and life flow through the currents of life ,knowing that you are a miracle brought to us by God, and loved beyond words. Always keep music and a song in your heart, and I hope you dance......I love you...."
Grandma Nancy
