The Next Phase

The sun is low in the sky. It is 'The Golden Hour' where late afternoon sun drenches your surroundings in gold. I love this time of day. Everything seems to be quieting down, dinner is over, the dishes are done, all is calm, all is well.

Today we learned about the arrival of the latest member of our family. Our niece made her way into the world after one o'clock this morning. We are all filled with joy over the arrival of this newest addition. A new baby. Wow. The miracle of a new human on the planet. I know it happens so many times each day, most of us go about our days not contemplating new life, unless and until it is placed in our hearts, so fresh, so new to the world. I began to realize I am closer to being a grandmother than being a mother of a newborn. My oldest is 20 this month, and my 'baby' is a senior in high school. Wow. I will be a grandmother, most likely in less than 18 years, which is how I see myself closer to being a grandmother than a new mother. It worked on me. I know I am the mother of adult children. I get that. I love that. I have lived every moment of their lives, and laughed and cried and earned my way right up to now. I own this place in my life, be here now, and all that. The preciousness is somehow turned up. I guess that is the sweetness of life.

So, my daughter and I were both crying in Barnes and Noble today, we went out to get some books for the new baby. If you saw us crying in the children's book department, now you know why. We read some of the sweet books from when my children were younger, and found some new ones which touched our hearts as well. We were both caught up in the whirlwind of the passage of time. My daughter becoming a woman, just about to launch into her adult life. Me seeing her as a baby, and then toddler and now flash forward? No! Actually, be here now, we are at the bookstore purchasing books for a new baby. Next to me is my sweet daughter, my dear friend, a beautiful young woman. At home (for a few more days anyway) is my son, our firstborn, the handsome young man who keeps me laughing with his quirky sense of humor. I marvel at their loving natures, their intelligence and the way they carry themselves in the world. They are my blessings and my reminder that I have done something worthwhile in this lifetime. My husband and I have raised two amazing children to adulthood. They are stellar human beings, which is what every parent should believe, and I do, we do. My love for them wells up from deep in my heart flooding my entire body. Our children are about to make their way in the world. We are moving into the next phase in our lives, my husband and I. It's all good. It's all precious.

The sun has set now. It is the next phase of this day, the ending of our niece's first day on this planet. May she have a rich life-time of miraculous, beautiful, precious, amazing, even overwhelming days. They are embarking upon the next phase of their lives as a new family together. All is well.