Well, I couldn’t wait to share the pictures tucked away on my camera so I decided to post this picture from my cell phone. Katherine has spent her first night at home and the new little family is settling into their nest. I am so thrilled to be holding my sweet little granddaughter so often. I love this blessing for a new baby written by John O’Donohue:
As I enter my new family,
May they be delighted
At how their kindness
Comes into blossom.
Unknown to me and them,
May I be exactly the one
To restore in their forlorn places
New vitality and promise.
May the hearts of others
Hear again the music
In the lost echoes
Of their neglected wonder.
If my destiny is sheltered,
May the grace of this privilege
Reach and bless the other infants
Who are destined for torn places.
If my destiny is bleak,
May I find in myself
A secret stillness
And tranquillity
Beneath the turmoil.
May my eyes never lose sight
Of why I have come here,
That I never be claimed
By the falsity of fear
Or eat the bread of bitterness.
In everything I do, think,
Feel, and say,
May I allow the light
Of the world I am leaving
To shine through and carry me home.
~ John O’Donohue
(To Bless the Space Between Us)
Lovely! Congratulations Barbara. My best wishes and prayers for the little one, may she live a wonderful, joyful & successful life. How do you feel being a granny? Katherine is a beautiful name. May the family be blessed abundantly.
Thank you, Sonali! I LOVE being Katherine’s Grammy!
aw she’s gorgeous. Love her name. 🙂
Thank you, Rosie! Larisa’s middle name is Katherine, named after my paternal grandmother.
Oh such a lovely child and a wonderful poem. Congrats Barbara. I’m thrilled for you.
Thank you, Sybil!
I tried to leave a comment on your post about musicals this morning, but something prevented the comment from displaying, even though it said it was being published. The problem is probably on my end as I am using a borrowed laptop, but I wanted to let you know I tried!
Ohhhhhhhh, Katherine Leila is as precious as precious can be.
I adore my dog-eared copy of “Bless the Space Between Us” — this blessing is oh-so-fitting!
Thank you, Laurie! My copy of “Bless the Space Between Us” is pretty dog-eared, too. 🙂
Oh, she is so beautiful!! Congratulations, Grandma! Welcome and blessings to Katherine Leila! 🙂
Thank you, Robin! The little one is so sweet and curious – she seems to recognize me now. 🙂
Blessings indeed! She is beautiful. You and Tim must be thrilled to welcome her. Hugs to Larisa and to Katherine Leila.
PS thank you for sharing this poem.
Thank you, Nancy! I’m glad you liked the poetic blessing. Unfortunately, because Katherine arrived two weeks after her due date, Tim had to return home before she arrived. But he is coming down here this weekend so he can meet her and hold her in his arms. And the minute she was born I called him and he got to hear her first cries over the phone. 🙂
How adorable! Thank you for sharing both the picture of your blessed granddaughter AND the poem. (I am glad you didn’t wait.)
Thank you, Kathy! Hopefully when Tim and Nate get here this weekend they can fix my laptop so I can post some better pictures… Keeping my fingers crossed…
Hi Barbara. She has a lot of hair. Such a joy for you. Katherine is a beautiful name. Jane
Thank you, Jane! Katherine’s hair is so silky and her skin is so soft – late in the afternoon I hold her for a long time and she responds to my voice. I’m in love…
Katherine is so bonny, so beautiful! Congratulations. She is a love that will enfold you forever more. XO <3
Thank you, Diane! Katherine has already got a few nicknames. Her Russian grandparents are calling her Katya, Tim & I are calling her Katie, and her parents are calling her Babbins!
Oh Barbara, what a precious little baby girl! You are truly blessed, all of your family are…..Congratulations to you all, and to Katherine Leila, for choosing your wonderful family to be a part of.
Thank you, Joanne! Would that every baby could enter this world surrounded by so much love and adoration. After coping with so many deaths in recent years, Katie has definitely brought us “new vitality and promise.”
Congratulations to the Rodgers family on the birth of your precious granddaughter! Congratulations Larisa, seems like only yesterday when you were a teenager here at Soundbreeze! Happy diaper changing & 2 am feedings. So glad your mom could be with you. Your dad is a proud grandpa & shared this web sight with us. God Bless each of you!
From you neighbors, the Gonzales family.
It was so nice to hear from you, Dolores, and thank you for your kind words! It made me smile to think of Tim so eager to share pictures of Katie with you. 🙂 The years have certainly flown by – Larisa was only 12 when we moved next door to you and it’s hard to believe we’ve been neighbors for 21 years! And we feel blessed to have such good neighbors! When Larisa brings her family for the holidays she will have to show you her little bundle of joy.
Thank you for the well-wishes! We are more than thrilled to welcome Babbins into our home here. I also feel like it was just yesterday when I was living at Soundbreeze, so recently a child myself. The years have flown by. Katherine is 4 weeks old today and the doctor says she’s very healthy. We’re managing to get enough sleep between the nighttime feedings and diaper changes, but we will be very thankful when she is old enough to sleep through the night. I was very lucky to have my Mom down here for so long! I couldn’t have done it without her.
Thank you again!
-Larisa.
Oh, what joy!! Congratulations to you and Tim on the birth of your first grandchild. What a wonderful blessing! You and Tim must be overjoyed beyond words. Susan
Thank you, Susan! We are definitely overjoyed! Katie isn’t our first grandchild, though. We have an 11-year-old granddaughter, too, and a 15-year-old step-granddaughter, as well. But it’s been 11 long years since we’ve had the joy of holding a precious newborn.