9/27/2010

I'm a New Grandma!


My brand new grandson Liam James Cope was born on September 21 2010.  Congratulations Arianne and Jared!  Liam is a beautiful newborn with lots of dark brown hair like his mother and me.  He is the fourth child of a fourth child or a fourth child.  Pretty special. 

Spending time at my daughter's home was a piece of heaven for me.  Playing tag in the front yard, going for walks around the block and rocking the newest member of the family in the same rocking chair where I rocked his mother filled me with joy. 

I have the greatest respect and love for women who have the faith and courage to bring children into the world.  Everything that matters begins and ends with family.

I love you Jared, Arianne, Sammy, Sophie, Logan and Liam.  Thank you for letting me stay at your house and soak in the wonder of your beautiful family.
Granny B.

9/19/2010

Becoming More Childlike




One day my little girl had just finished her bath. I turned my head just in time to see her leaping gracefully down the hall in sheer ecstasy - buck naked.

“Oh, Momma! I feel just like one of those wild horses,” she said, smiling.

I stopped and wondered - when was the last time I leaped down the hall buck naked and felt like one of those wild horses? When was the last time I looked in the mirror and even smiled? When Christ told us we needed to become as a child to enter the kingdom of heaven, He was teaching us what qualities of character are important. Children have a fresh perspective that always delights.

One day my young son left for school wearing bright, rainbow-colored moon boots that were in style roughly two decades earlier - hand-me-downs from older siblings. When he got home he told me the boys at school had called him “stupid boots.”

“I’m sorry you had a bad day,” I answered.

“Oh, I didn’t have a bad day,” he said. “Just a bad ten seconds. The rest of the day was pretty great. I don’t care what those guys say. These boots are awesome.”

Children are naturally resilient and can be such great role models. Once while I knelt with my three-year-old as she said her prayers, she suddenly and without my prompting told her Heavenly Father a knock-knock joke. After her amen, I must have look a little stunned because she tried to reassure me.

"Don’t worry Mom. Heavenly Father likes to laugh sometimes, you know.”

Research shows adults laugh only a few times a day. Children laugh hundreds of times a day! When you look at that statistic it makes adulthood seem repressed and inhibited. Let’s appreciate children as the magnificent teachers they really are.

One of my children used to pray every day at the dinner table, “Dear Heavenly Father, please help us all be more huggable today.”

You know, I really tried to be more huggable after I said amen to her prayers. Children offer their affection without scrutiny. They live in the present and are curious, observant and look freshly at common things.

Children are our greatest teachers of love. My children have taught me the simple essence of a meaningful life.

9/09/2010

Life Often Requires Us To Face What We Fear Most

There are many life experiences we’re absolutely sure we can’t face, such as the death of a love one, chronic illness, financial failure, spouse betrayal or wayward children. Yet life often requires us to face what we fear most. When we live through the very trial we hoped to avoid, we have the opportunity to learn, grow and receive God’s infinite love for us. When we feel the love of God, there is nothing left to fear.


Sometimes when we are faced with difficult times, we just need extra gripping power. Tiny green plums in my back yard taught me this lesson. One spring, I was experiencing a difficult time emotionally and physically after the death of a loved one. One morning I walked out into our back yard and noticed hundreds of miniature green plums just beginning to form on our fruit tree. That tiny, undeveloped fruit represented the harvest we hoped to reap later in the summer. My mouth watered just thinking about their tart and sweet taste.

That night there was a huge storm. I heard the wind howling, twisting and wailing all night long while I lay in bed unable to sleep. The next day when I walked outside, I noticed piles of green plums blown from the tree in the storm disappearing into the grass. They let go. I looked closely to see what remained. There were still a few tiny plums clinging tightly to the tree branches. All that spring I watched and waited. Those few tiny plums grew and ripened. The fruit that survived and drew strength from the tree throughout the growing season had one important quality - they hung on. That ability alone made the difference. Now when I’m experiencing an unexpected loss, I always pray for strength to hold on. I draw on strength beyond myself and beyond this world. I know in time my harvest will come.

When we don't give up and live through the very heartache we hoped to avoid, we discover that with time and divine help - all circumstances will work toward our good. When we are faced with loss, the ability to hang on will see us through. We can bear much more than we suppose. We never have to give up hope. Everything that happens to us deepens our understanding and enlarges the capacity of our heart.

9/05/2010

Doing Things You Think You Can't Do

Responding positively to invitations to serve others always leads to personal growth. For example, when I was a teenager, I was often asked to play the piano at church. I desperately needed time to practice before I could play any piece well. Most of the choristers gave me the music ahead of time. One chorister never did. Needless to say, I was stressed out because I didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of my peers. One day I was asked to play a hymn roughly six seconds before crunch time. I turned to the hymn and discovered it had four sharps. I immediately panicked and quickly prayed, “Heavenly Father, help! I can’t do four sharps!”


What followed was the quickest personal revelation I’ve ever received. “Just pretend it’s in three flats and I’ll help you.” Naïve and desperate I followed that impression without question. I played the hymn written in four sharps in three flats and it sounded all right! Well, that was sufficient proof of another Red Sea parting for me. It wasn’t until 35 years later that someone told me you can change the flats into sharps and the sharps into flats as long as they add up to seven.

Actually, I failed to appreciate the real miracle - God knew me. God knew me well enough to know I thought I could play that song in three flats. I was given a way to think about my challenge in a way I could survive it. The Creator of this universe who has to keep the cosmos going knows all of us that intimately. How much good could we do with our lives if we accept invitations to serve others, then let go of our fears and depend on God for our strength? God will give us a way to think about our challenges in a way that we can handle it – if we ask.

9/01/2010

I'm a New Grandma Today!

Kate Elizabeth Baadsgaard was born today!
There is no greater miracle than a newborn child. 
She is absolutly beautiful.  I felt like I was in heaven while I held her for several hours today. Congratulations Jacob and Teresa! Emma is going to love having a baby sister.