I woke up in Mississippi this morning to two missed phone calls and a dozen missed text messages. When you see something like that your heart drops — you’ll understand one day — but quickly it returned to normal when I read the contents through bleary morning eyes. It seems you are going to take after your Honey in the philosophy of “why wait until later when we could just go ahead and celebrate today”? Technically you aren’t supposed to make your grand entrance for another month, somewhere around Christmas Day, but it looks like you want to experience the entire season this year, not just the big day.
At the time of this writing you haven’t arrived yet, but all signs indicate you will be here sometime this weekend. I figured I better get serious about introducing myself. I am your Gumbo, weird name I know, but you will find I’m kind of weird myself, not in a bad way, but in a fun, unpredictable kind of way. Your mom and dad picked out the name Marley — which I adore — but Honey and I have a tradition of giving our grandchildren a nickname, well, more me than Honey, but she plays along with my weirdness. Your big brother Ryker is the Rougaroux, Roux for short, and your cousin Magnolia is Magnola, or Nola for short. When I found out your given name I knew right away what we were going to call you — Marley Gras, or just Mardi for short, because you are a cause for celebration.
Full disclosure — we (your mom and dad, me and Honey, your mamaw and grandaddy and your uncle Kase and aunt Cid) are a bit terrified of the notion that there will now be three of you under the age of three, but we are also thrilled to add you to the mix of chaos, love, and laughter that is our family. I’m just glad you weren’t in as big a hurry as your big brother who got here six weeks early. I can’t say that I blame either of you for being excited to join this caravan of crazy we call our family. It seems your personality is going to fit your nickname perfectly. You are ready to laissez les bon temps rouler (let the good times roll), and they will I assure you. On Chicken Creek we eat well, laugh often, play hard, and love unconditionally. That’s the part I really want you to learn the most.
For months I’ve daydreamed about what life with you will look like. We all know it will be hard — babies are a lot of work, especially when you have to balance time and energy with a two-nager and a toddler — but it will also be magical. It’s a little crazy for me to sit and imagine how, any day now, my heart is going to grow bigger. I don’t know how God does it, it’s as much a miracle to me as creating a human from dirt and breathing life into him. I’ve experienced it twice now in the last few years and I’ve yet to come up with adequate words to explain it. It’s also very exciting because now I know what to expect and can anticipate this magical moment heading my way at light speed. Very soon I will look into your face and fall instantly in love. I may be half asleep writing this in the pre-dawn darkness, but I’m awake enough to know that the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me is going to happen for the third time. It’s like being able to eat a third piece of birthday cake without getting sick at your stomach or opening a third Christmas present that is exactly what you wanted. I used to think memories were the closest we could get to reliving the greatest and happiest moments of our lives, but now I know its actually getting to hold your new grandchild for the first time again….and again…and again. It’s like living your favorite memory all over again. Happy birthday Marley Gras, welcome to the world, it is a beautiful, magical, mysterious place and I can’t wait to show it all to you.
***Addendum***
Since the time of this writing, I did get to meet you and you are even more wonderful than I expected. You look just like your big brother and that makes my heart sing, three songs actually, and literally. When I came to see you and held you tonight, it was at the end of a really bad day, several bad days really. As hard as I was trying I was at the end of my rope and struggling to hold on. I’d spent the better part of two days praying for help…and then He sent you and suddenly everything was alright again and the old, ugly, broken world I was growing weary of, was suddenly brand new and beautiful again.
Holding you and looking at you I was reminded of the lyrics to Peter Mayer’s “Brand New”.
She traveled here not long ago
Straight from the great unknown
And being from that land of dreams
She seems to glow
And words are still beyond her reach
She can't speak, but every day
She'll say to you The world, the world is new And you'll look and you'll see it's true
The world is all brand new
Another song in my heart was Michael Franti’s “Say Hey (I Love You).
I've been a lot of places all around the way
I've seen a lot of joy and I've seen a lot of pain
But I don't want to write a love song for the world
I just want to write a song about a boy and a girl
I say, "Hey, I'll be goin' today
But I'll be back home around the way"
It seems like everywhere I go
The more I see, the less I know
But I know (I know) one thing (one thing) that I love you (baby girl)
I love you, I love you, I love you
The other song has officially — in my mind at least — become the theme song for you three little blessings who keep me from giving up hope that all things will be made new. Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds”.
Rise up this mornin' Smiled with the risin' sun Three little birds Pitch by my doorstep Singin' sweet songs Of melodies pure and true Saying', (this is my message to you)
Singing' don't worry 'bout a thing 'Cause every little thing gonna be alright Singing' don't worry (don't worry) 'bout a thing 'Cause every little thing gonna be alright
Like the Grinch, my heart has grown three sizes in the last three years. I don’t know how you little birds — Rougaroux, Nola, and now Marley Gras — did, but what I do know is I love you, I love you, I love you.
Beauty will save the world. - Fyodor Dostoevsky
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