April
26, 2013
Dear Cooper,
Welcome to the world, little guy. We’re all so happy you’re
here: your mother and father, me, your Nana, your other grandparents, your
uncles and aunts, and many, many friends. We’ve been waiting for you for the
last nine months. And now you’re here and you’re surrounded by people who love
you just because of who you are.
You don’t know me yet, but you will. I’m the one who will
take you on walks, read Go, Dogs, Go!
to you, pretend with you, build castles with you, tell you stories, pray with
you, sing songs for you, and so much more. I’m your grandfather. Your dad
thinks you’ll call me Pops, and that’s fine by me. I really don’t care what you
call me as long as I get to spend time with you and watch you grow, and change,
and learn.
There is so much to learn, and I’m going to be right there
with you, teaching you as much as I can. I’ll teach you to cast a lure, fire a
gun (safely), tell a dove from a meadowlark, hammer a nail, and measure a
board. Together with your mother and father, I’ll teach you who Jesus is, how
to read a story, what to watch out for, and what laughter is all about. And
you’ll teach me. You’ll teach me what it is to have a grandson, what you like,
what your own talents are, and how to see the world through a child’s eyes. I’m
so looking forward to that.
I’m also looking forward to seeing your eyes light up, and
hearing your screams of joy. I look forward to the delight on your face when
you first learn to read, and ride a bike, and throw a ball, and . . . you name
it. There are many firsts ahead of you, and I’ll be here to share them with
you.
I’ll tell you right now: I’m the backup team. You are your
parents’ child, not mine. So what they say goes. But I know them. I know
they’ll teach you well, and I know they’ll want me to spend as much time with
you as possible, because they know already how much I love you.
And I’ll be
there for you. At ball games and music recitals, at graduations and birthday
parties, at church and at home and at my home and wherever you are. I’ll be
there. Because you’re my grandson and that’s what grandfathers do. We’ve had
lots of years to learn how to do it well.
Cooper, I’ve been praying for you since well before you were
born. I’ve prayed that God will keep you safe and healthy, but more
importantly, I’ve prayed that God will make you strong, and determined, and
dangerous. You see, boys and men are supposed to be dangerous. Dangerous to the devil. Dangerous to those who want to hurt
others. Dangerous to those who steal and destroy. I want you to be physically
strong, but it’s even more important to be spiritually strong. In that you’ll
need to depend on God and lean on the Spirit. I have no doubt that you will.
And determination? That will see you through all the problems that life will
throw at you. Life will do that. None of us gets through life without problems.
But problems are made to be solved. Problems are obstacles, and climbing
obstacles makes us stronger.
But don’t worry about that now. In fact, don’t worry about
that ever. Just let us love you, and hold you, and feed you, and love you some
more. Because that’s what we were made to do, and what you were made for. Just
by being here you fill us with joy. And you will for your whole life.
All the love in the world,
Pops
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