About half a decade ago my daughter shared with me the news that she was expecting a baby. She wasn’t even old enough yet to drive.<\/p>\n
I wasn’t thrilled, but I wasn’t devestated, either.\u00a0 What I was mostly was scared.<\/p>\n
And I could see my fear echoed in her eyes as she looked for answers to questions that hadn’t even been asked, but would be, and very quickly.<\/p>\n
I was scared for her path and the decisions awaiting her along that path.<\/p>\n
She chose a path some have said was unwise at her age.\u00a0 She chose to not just keep the child alive, but to raise it as best as she could on her own.<\/p>\n
It hasn’t been an easy path for her, being a single teen mom, and\u00a0 not even out of high school.<\/p>\n
Truth be told, it hasn’t been easy on me, either.<\/p>\n
But that’s perfectly ok.\u00a0 We’re not here to trod an easy path.<\/p>\n
We’re here to face tough choices, to learn from bad decisions, to keep going when faced with adversity.<\/p>\n
We’re here to do what we believe is right, even when so many opportunities are at our disposal to do an easier, but less enheartening thing.<\/p>\n
Mostly, we’re here to spread the grace and goodwill passed on to us by others who have come across our journey on these paths.<\/p>\n
Lord willing, maybe even our grandkids will catch the bug and spread it around to others.\u00a0 That’s the plan, anyway.<\/p>\n
And she’s been an awesome mom.\u00a0 Knows that there are things she gives up for the sake of her child’s well-being.\u00a0 Knows that she’s a mother first before anything else.\u00a0 Knows that the time she spends with him daily is time he’ll cherish in his heart forever.<\/p>\n
The original fear in our eyes has been replaced by thankfulness.<\/p>\n
So what does the next five, ten, fifty years hold for my Gwumpa Stories?<\/p>\n
Can’t say, really.\u00a0 That’d spoil the surprise.<\/p>\n
And I’m no stranger to surprises \ud83d\ude00<\/p>\n
Photo credit: Some rights reserved<\/a> by h.koppdelaney<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" About half a decade ago my daughter shared with me the news that she was expecting a baby. 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You must do what I SAY Me: No, actually we voted you into office. So you have to do what we ask you to do. Grandboy: Wait, what? The president doesn't have all the power? Me: All elected officials are\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1418,"url":"https:\/\/www.monkeyinfinitum.com\/gwumpastories\/2019\/12\/14\/golly-stones\/","url_meta":{"origin":580,"position":1},"title":"Golly stones","author":"Gwumpa Stories","date":"December 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Grandboy: Grandpa, how did you get your golly stones? Me: My what? Grandboy: Your golly stones. You know, the ones that made you go to the hospital. Me: O you mean my gall stone. Grandboy: Yah your golly stones. How did you get them? Me: I don't know. I don't\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":30,"url":"https:\/\/www.monkeyinfinitum.com\/gwumpastories\/2015\/03\/07\/pup-the-protector-sometimes\/","url_meta":{"origin":580,"position":2},"title":"Pup the protector (sometimes)","author":"Gwumpa Stories","date":"March 7, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The grandboy, trying to convince me to let the family dog sleep with him: \"Gwumpa, i neeeed puppy in here.\" \"O? Why do you neeeeed him in here?\" \"Look.\" (he picks up his (currently) fav toy, a \"Jake pirate\" doll from \"Jake and the Neverland Pirates\" cartoon series) \"look see?\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1439,"url":"https:\/\/www.monkeyinfinitum.com\/gwumpastories\/2020\/05\/30\/protect-that-ip\/","url_meta":{"origin":580,"position":3},"title":"Protect that IP","author":"Gwumpa Stories","date":"May 30, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I may have done a very good or a very bad thing. Grandboy was fantasizing about a combo washer & dryer invention. After he finished describing it I told him he needed to write down the idea on paper so other people would know he came up with the idea.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":84,"url":"https:\/\/www.monkeyinfinitum.com\/gwumpastories\/2014\/03\/22\/dont-be-scared\/","url_meta":{"origin":580,"position":4},"title":"Don’t be scared","author":"Gwumpa Stories","date":"March 22, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The grandboy holds my hand while I use the vacuum cleaner so I won't be scared","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1479,"url":"https:\/\/www.monkeyinfinitum.com\/gwumpastories\/2020\/11\/29\/sometimes-im-scared-of-things\/","url_meta":{"origin":580,"position":5},"title":"Sometimes I’m scared of things","author":"Gwumpa Stories","date":"November 29, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Grandboy: Sometimes I'm scared of things. 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