Tag Archives: Perspective

A Thought I Cherish…

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The Catholic Church teaches, and I gratefully accept, that God has perfect foreknowledge. Simply put, God doesn’t have new ideas; and, that truth has enormous implications for each one of us. It means that, although we were conceived and later born on particular dates in history, we have always been in the mind, heart, and plan of God.

God has always known your name, your face, your strengths and weaknesses, your favorite color, your most cherished memories, the things that move your heart, and the things that make you cry. God sees your loneliness and insecurities. God hears your voice raised in prayer. God sees your fist raised in anger and frustration… and understands.

You have always been, and will always be, God’s beloved. You are never completely alone.

You are not an accident or a mistake! In fact, you are God’s good and eternal idea!

Being Buppa (a.k.a. Grandparenting)

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This is re-post three of five…

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When our daughter, Rachel, was expecting her first child, friends who were already veteran grandparents promised us that we were going to love the experience. “It’s all of the fun and none of the responsibility” was the typical refrain. Of course, there’s a degree of truth to that, but that doesn’t begin to tell the story.

For me, the genuine wonder of grandparenting comes from perspective.

As a young parent, I was often so busy providing for my children and tending to their day-to-day needs that I failed to appreciate fully the transitory nature of their childhood. And then, too suddenly, they were grown.

As a young parent, I tended to idealize my children and to have unrealistically high hopes that they might avoid some of the mistakes and the pain that had colored my life. And then, I watched them struggle.

As a young parent, I worked hard to protect my children from harm. And then, I saw them suffer.

Today, when I gaze into the eyes of my grandchildren, I understand that the huge place I now occupy in their worldview will necessarily (and rightly) diminish over time. So, I gaze more intently.

When I read or tell a story to my grandchildren, I understand that the narrative of their lives will, far too soon, become more complex and cloudy. So, first, I try not to rush; and, I emphasize (and relish with them) the simple wisdom each story seeks to convey.

While playing with my grandchildren, I really try to play.

And, when I hear my grandchildren cry, I sometimes cry too.

… (By the way, our grandchildren call me “Buppa.” It is an identity I truly cherish.)

Mother and Daughter

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One recent evening, I was walking down my street behind a mother and her young daughter, who must have been 8 or 9 years old.

My pace was a bit quicker than theirs, and, as I approached, I could hear them talking up a storm and laughing. Every once in a while, they would hip-check each other… and then smile.

It was so very nice to see.

Watching their love at work, a thought crossed my mind. In years to come, when their inevitable disagreements arise, it might give them some perspective (i.e., help them find some common ground) if only they could see then what I saw while walking behind them that day.