Measured Grace

Measured Grace

A gram of grace….

Just curious, I looked through the Wikipedia, my online source, since the old dictionary is seldom put back where it belongs…

The word gram, my word, my grandmother name, has multiple meanings.

• gram- a volume of measurement
• -a measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity
• an opposite of energy…but not all is associated with identifiable matter. ( am I full of unimportant stuff…lol)

Words like inertial, active, passive… and my favorite part:

The word originates from the Latin gramma – a small weight. (But then that is another topic that I won’t go into).

Ok, so none of this pertains to being a Gram. But it was a fun way to kill some time while the cornbread browned in the oven.

Names are important to me. Biblical titles always held special significance, applied expectation, demanded accountability. So I pondered, fretted, fussed… You see, another of my friends had just announced her pending grandmother status and had a cozy tee monogrammed to show her new moniker and so I started my search. What name would I stitch onto a smart tote to fill with little goodies for sharing? I finally gave up, realizing that I wasn’t even expecting another generation’s birth. I would have plenty of time to decide when that time came.

Funny thing, I had hardly finished my self-talk when the announcement came. I could hardly believe the surprise and joy I felt. And then, O no…, I didn’t have a name yet for the little tyke to call me. He or she would have to call me something. It became my quest. I had to have the perfect name to make it real.

I spent more time thinking of names for myself, and a companion name for the grandfather-to-be who is my mate, than I should have, I suppose. But hey, this was a name that meant a brand new job for me.

I know many of you mom’s can relate.

You hit that “empty nest” stage of life where you are no longer raising toddlers, or picking up school kids and you are cooking for only one other than yourself and wondering what happened to your life. And then you are handed a whole new job description wrapped up in a little box holding a surprise like a pacifier or a frame that says “My Grandchildren. “ (This was not the way the big news came to me, but that, too, is a story saved for later).

I can’t tell you how much fun it is to know that your child, the product of so much love in your life, is about to become a parent. Picking out little pink hair bows or blue booties is more exciting than winning a lottery. And certainly, you can brush aside all remarks like “you are going to spoil this baby” with rebuttals of “that is my job.”

Of course, you are less convincing as a devoted parent, when you breeze right past your child and make a beeline to the bassinet, without so much as a hug for the forgotten one you birthed. You can usually redeem yourself if you go back and embrace said child, once you breathe in the baby lotion-scented bundle and kiss the soft skin and silk crown.  Be prepared to hear remarks of invisibility, etc., but carry on.

I used to laugh with friends who sent countless photos of pretty children who belonged to their offspring. I always told them to send as many as possible, so I could do the same. Alas, my time has come. You will see us at the park, me snapping frame upon frame. And did you see the one where he was playing in the rain, with water running down his thick lashes? And did I show you the one…

I thank You, God, for making me a Gram, for giving me a gift of Your Grace, and as the dictionary defines, my heart is grateful for:

• Grace, the state of kindness and favor towards someone, God’s gift.
• Grace, something that is God-given, made possible only by Jesus Christ and none other.
• God’s gift of salvation granted to sinners for their salvation.

 

• A Greek word related to Charis is Charisma (gracious gift). Chairo (to rejoice, be glad, delighted), and in the Old Testament, defined as “favor,” as “pleasant”, and as “precious”.