Courtesy of JewishSacredAging.com

The call came in at about 10:30 PM, Monday, May 4, sometime around the ninth inning of the Phillies game. I had been waiting, dressed and ready to go, since late afternoon. Several false alarms! Then, “the” call! There was lots of noise, and the sound of someone crying. Then, the voice of my son-in-law saying that I had joined a very exclusive club, the grandparent club, and that his wife (my daughter) and the new baby girl, Ayla, were both fine.

So, after getting his OK to come to the hospital (as if a “no” would have stopped me), my wife and I ran to the car, stopped to pick up my son at a designated meeting place, and sprinted into the city and into the hospital. Less than an hour into her new life, I walked into the birthing room to see my new granddaughter nestled contently on her mom. My son-in-law was standing proudly over the bed, snapping pictures on the camera he received for his 30th birthday. For a moment, time seemed suspended.

I know I am not the only person this has happened to. In fact, I have entered grandparenthood rather late. Most of my friends are now seasoned veterans who have pictures conveniently stored on cell phones, PDAs, and leather-bound photo holders that are never more than an arms’ length removed. People at work and such have asked if I was “blown away” by the experience of seeing my grandchild. I know the expected answer was “of course.”

To be honest, I was not. What stopped me cold as I entered that hospital room on that damp Monday evening was the sight of my daughter and her newborn child, bound together in a glow that was so present, so real that you could actually see it. Seeing my daughter becoming a mother was, and remains, a transitional moment. There was an aura that surrounded the bed, an aura of unconditional love that was physically present; you could feel it and sense its power. It was as close to a spiritual moment that I can recall experiencing in recent memory. There was another Presence in that room. I cannot prove it, but you could feel it!

And so the journey begins. As with our own children, we watch and pray for health and for strength. We cannot know where this child will go, what she will experience in her life, what new boundaries she will cross and new ideas she will conceive. Those belong, in many ways, to a world that we will never see. This experience does renew the sense of faith we have in people. For, somewhat unlike when we had our own children, it seems that grandparenting is even more an exercise of faith. We put our faith for this child’s future into the hands of the children we have borne. And as I have been advised by my friends, you do not have control. Indeed, if you are lucky, you will be asked for advice. So having faith in what you have done as a parent now comes full circle. I guess you get to see some of the lessons you tried to teach your children played out as they themselves begin to parent.

One of the themes I have written about a lot for these columns has been the powerful impact of relationships on our lives, especially as we grow older. They take on added significance and are considered factors in our own spiritual and mental health. I sense that this new relationship, now just a few weeks old, is one that adds life and years and meaning to existence.

It seems that it can be a wonderful ride and is a blessing in every way. I am thankful to have been able to be present so soon after Ayla’s birth and to see my daughter transition into this new life stage literally before my eyes. I now understand when people told me that it does “change your life”! I look forward to experiencing as much of life as possible with Ayla and give thanks that she and her parents are healthy.

Now, a couple of questions to which some of you may have the answers: Are there really any limits to spoiling her, and how can I do it so her mom won’t get too angry?!