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Many of my friends have had grandchildren for quite awhile now, but now it's my turn to sit back and bask, and brag, to others about this glory that is mine; that of being a glowing Grandmother to be.  

In close to fifty years of my life there have been many wonderful and exciting things that have happened to me, and many events that have meant a great deal; things that I have been very proud to be involved in or taken part of , but none have been as important and thrilling to me as having given birth to, and having the responsibility for, raising my two sons, Michael and Aaron. The greatest joy and accomplishment of my life without question has been my boys. You can ask anyone who knows me or has even met me once. They will hear about by boys in one statement or another. I carry pictures in my wallet to proudly show others who the recipients of my pride and joy are.  

Now I have even a bigger and greater responsibility before me. Helping the both of them to love, and care for their own special bundle of energy and joy. There is absolutely nothing you can do in this world that is a more important, rewarding, and difficult task and accomplishment in life than raising your children. Even being on the stage in front of hundreds of thousands of people cannot hold a candlestick to the magnitude of importance God gives us to properly raising and loving our own children.  

In my life there have been many wonderful people who have influenced me greatly, but probably none have had any greater impact on me than the love and encouragement of my Grandma. She was not a perfect woman by any means, but in my eyes, over the years, you couldn't tell it by me. She was a very stern and willful disciplinarian and we crossed wills many times when I was a small child, as she raised me because my mother had to work. But there was never any question that her love for me was unquestionable and undying. She loved me with all of her heart and she thought that I could do anything I wanted to, or be anything I wanted to be. She made sure to let me know it. Some of the deepest and greatest lessons and knowledge I have today were as a result of her encouragement and training. Even in the things she didn't say. Maybe my understanding of that information is skewed but nonetheless, that's how I remember it.  

Because of the memories that I have of my own Grandmother, I'm sure that's another reason why I'm so thrilled now to know that I am going to have my own grandchild. Boy or girl, it doesn't really matter to me. I'm completely and totally excited about their announcement and my upcoming and new responsibility as a Grandma.  

We all need people in our lives who are willing to stand up once in awhile and say, "I think you are wonderful!" Grandparents are great for doing that. Especially when the parents are having a difficult time of it because of disagreements or frustrations at home, due to discipline or other daily concerns in life.  

Aaron and Sara are both so excited right now, and rightfully so. But there will be times after the baby comes, and the tiredness and working responsibilities set in, that the excitement leaves and the ever present reality of parenthood becomes apparent. That's when I will be there to try and help them cope and remind them that "this too will pass." That's a major reason why I would want so badly to live near them. Oh well!  

Aaron and Sara are both individuals of character and character is determined by what you accomplish when the excitement is gone. So when the newness and excitement wear off because the daily routine sets in, that's when I know their character will truly kick in.  

Many of you have heard, or read, about my personal belief that every person born, every child, has his or her own "bent" in life that God has given it. It's up to us each individually to recognize and accept that "bent" or person for who he/she is. We need to encourage and celebrate their differences and uniqueness' with God's help. As a parent especially, it is easy to want to change the child and make him or her more like us, meeting our own needs, rather than the needs of the child. If we refuse to accept their specialness and uniqueness, we will be destroying that very nature that God has given that child, and we will find it extremely difficult to raise the child with harmony and pleasure.  

I'm not saying that we accept everything the child does as acceptable behavior. By no means! It's our responsibility to train the child up in the way it should go, the scripture says. But we have to always keep an eye out for the spirit and sensitivity of the child. We have to encourage the positive traits and always deal with character issues first and foremost as if it depends on their life, because it does. A child's personal self-esteem and character have more to do with who they turn out to be than any other factor in life. And the greatest cause in helping that positive self-esteem and strong character is to direct them towards an early and personal relationship with God Almighty.  

There are many good suggestions I will be giving my kids as the years go by to encourage them both in their new coming job as parents, but here is one I have come across recently that I really like. I'm not sure who wrote it.