Family: the very young and the very old

Today was a family full day. I saw the oldest generations, gray with wisdom and memory loss and I spent some quality time with the newest generation, Little Patrick James (PJ) who is just 5 days old. Our family has been blessed with four generations on both sides.

My great-grandmother who we call "Nonna" turned 92 in February. Shortly after that, she suffered a stroke and was forced to relocate to an assisted living home. Despite some problems and hospital visits, she's settled in and apparently doing well. I visited her today for the first time since she moved.

Now, let me lay this out for you: I don't do well with old people. At church we used to go and sing and visit with the elderly around Lancaster. I would always feel uncomfortable and out of place. I never know how to handle situations like that. So walking into Nonna's room and realizing that she is certainly not the woman I knew a few months ago, the uncomfortableness settled right back in. I was on the verge of tears watching her struggle to find the right word, then with a deep sigh, resigning her efforts. Despite her struggles, she was still able to reminisce about how blessed she's been in her long life. She has 8 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. She has been a spiritual mother to many and will leave a fantastic legacy behind her. She's on the edges of life, but living with no regrets.

I mentioned before that my cousin just had a baby, and I certainly was not lying. Her little boy is honestly one of the cutest babies I have ever seen. He was born on Tuesday afternoon so he's really just 4-5 days old. He fits in one arm (even my own short arms) and hardly ever fusses. I sat with him in my lap for a while today just admiring the little life that just started on his journey. I told his mom later that I could just sit like that for hours, stroking his little fingers and feeling him breathe against my stomach. He's the beginning of the fourth generation on my dad's side. With him comes the transformation of kid to adult, child to parent.

The weekend brought with it new journeys of life and new lessons of family. This fourth of July brings with it a foreshadowing of possible years to come as our family grows and matures as a whole and individuals.