A New Life

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A New Life

Lately, I have been happy, really happy. Just eight weeks ago, my beloved godchild gave birth to her first child, a little girl. The presence of this baby, this new life, has filled my heart with a sense of delight and wonder than I had not anticipated.

As an only child with no children of my own, I have spent my life making and maintaining close friendships with a handful of folks. These friends are the siblings I never had, some of them dating back to my childhood, others from times in my twenties and thirties. R and C are such a couple, our friendship going back to 1981, the year their daughter L was born.

When R and C asked me to become L’s godmother, I was thrilled, and have a vivid memory of baptizing her on the beach near where she had been born. For over thirty years now, my relationship with L has been nothing less than a joy. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine loving her more if she had been my own child. It’s been a privilege to watch her grow and develop into the fine woman and new mother that she is today.

I was unprepared for the wave of feeling I experienced when I heard that L had delivered a healthy baby girl, E. Holding E for the first time three weeks later, I was reminded to doing so with L at the same age, almost thirty-three years ago.

It had been years since I had been around a baby, let alone a newborn. Surprisingly, my anxiety melted away, pretty quickly, and I joined L and J and helping care for their tiny daughter. Leaving to return home to San Diego was a wrench, and more than a few tears were shed in the taxi to the airport.

You can imagine how happy I was, three weeks later, to keep L and E company for three days while J had a business trip across the country. It was amazing to see how much E had grown and developed in such a short time. L’s confidence as a new mama had grown and she was getting a bit more sleep, a huge relief. Lucky E to have such loving, attentive parents –

The birth of this sweet baby has renewed in me a sense of optimism that I have not felt in years, a reminder of the continuity of life through the generations. Now that most of my family are gone, it is a burst of sunshine to look at E and anticipate a long, full life ahead of her.

I hope to play some part in her life as she grows up, just as I have in her mother’s. We are all bound together, baby, parents and grandparents, in a collective memory bank that is so precious to this “god-grandma”.

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16 Responses to A New Life

  1. Wendy Read October 3, 2014 at 2:59 pm #

    Liz, so beautiful, I am so very happy for you. These are the joys we need to focus on as our lives are so very short. XO Beautiful writing as well.

    • Liz October 3, 2014 at 3:31 pm #

      She is a joy, Wendy – wait until your daughter makes you a grandma!

  2. Lynda October 3, 2014 at 4:46 pm #

    That’s so lovely Liz. And lucky us that it means more visits to the Bay area by you.

    • Liz October 3, 2014 at 5:04 pm #

      Indeed it does, Lynda – I wish I lived closer but perhaps they are ready to go it alone now. At least until my next visit ๐Ÿ˜‰

  3. Jayne October 3, 2014 at 11:31 pm #

    How lovely Liz! What a lovely godmother you are!

    • Liz October 4, 2014 at 7:54 am #

      Thanks, Jayne – she has been so important to me all her life.

  4. Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious October 4, 2014 at 6:52 am #

    Simply wonderful…every bit of it!

    • Liz October 4, 2014 at 7:54 am #

      I’m counting the days until I can visit them all again in November, Dorothy.

  5. Ani {@afotogirl} October 4, 2014 at 1:09 pm #

    So sweet, Liz. Happy for you.

    • Liz October 4, 2014 at 3:49 pm #

      See you tomorrow, my friend – it has been too long. So happy for your return to health.

  6. Suzanne October 4, 2014 at 2:26 pm #

    Liz what a beautiful post, heartfelt sentiment and how lucky you all are to have each other. Congratulations on the birth of your God Daughters first child.

    • Liz October 4, 2014 at 3:48 pm #

      Thanks, Suzanne, I was stunned by my powerful emotional reaction to seeing her holding her baby –

  7. Lisa @ Whisk & Cleaver October 7, 2014 at 2:37 pm #

    Oh Liz – I’m so happy for you and your god-daughter and god-baby!! What a precious time this is for you and L & E ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Liz October 7, 2014 at 2:42 pm #

      I’m still pinching myself, the god-grandma!

  8. susan @ the wimpy vegetarian October 10, 2014 at 12:14 pm #

    What a beautiful post, Liz. I’m so happy for you, and know how lucky your god-daughter, and now your god-granddaughter, is to have you in their lives. There’s nothing like a new baby to well up feelings of hope and love. So looking forward to seeing you soon!

    • Liz October 10, 2014 at 12:29 pm #

      See you soon, Susan – congrats on the new puppy.

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