Gramps & the Big Sister

Some big news happened last week. My oldest daughter, Heather, gave birth to her second daughter making me a grandpa again. Ashlyn Grace Derr came into this world just after midnight on 4/15/08. Her arrival was met with much joy. Not only was I a grandpa, but Ashlyn’s older sister, Emma, was now a BIG SISTER. This was a much anticipated...promotion. It was a position of great responsibility, not to be taken lightly. Little sisters have much to learn, things that only a big sister can pass along. Emma was ready.

I don’t know where the years have gone. It seems not that long ago that I had this picture of Ashlyn’s mother burned into my memory. Heather’s tiny little hand reached up and grabbed the side of the warming tray after her birth. I had been in the delivery room and was among the first to welcome my daughter into this world. Her hand seemed too small to be human, but there it was and she has had a tight grip on life ever since.

Being here in San Antonio, I miss seeing my daughters and my grandchildren. Their lives are whirling by too fast. I thank God for the pictures my daughter sends me from time to time. Our get-togethers, although too few, have been precious. I wonder, though, if my joy at being a grandpa again even comes close to the joy of being a Big Sister in the Derr household right now.

FOOD for THOUGHT...