We traveled over 4,000 miles to meet you.

You won’t remember. We won’t forget.

You flashed your little dimples, cooing at your Uncle Ben as he babbled his own few words to you.

I soothed you to sleep, warm and soft against my shoulder, blinking away tears at the wonder of it.

You don’t know, little one, how many hours we traveled just to hold you. Marvel at you. Rejoice over you.

Like your brother before you, we are captivated. Entranced.

Memories flooded in of our first weeks with your Mama, marveling over every yawn and cry. What a gift she was to us. Is to us. Her life kept by grace to bring you to life; to cradle you close as we once cradled her.

We traveled over land and water to meet you, and I remember that my own grandfather, 95 years old, flew across a continent to meet me. There is a picture somewhere of him holding me proudly, dapper in suit and tie, and suddenly I feel a kinship with this man I can’t remember, in this shared experience of traveling far to meet a new grandchild.

We came so far to meet you, from our frigid snowy woods to your tropical heat, eager to kiss your soft head and gaze into your dark eyes. Such a wonder you are!

The next time we see you, you’ll be crawling after your big brother, exploring your world and lifting your arms for our eager embrace. We can hardly wait. For now we must make do with gazing at you in your Mama’s arms on our phone screens while also delighting in your brother’s sweet chatter, showing us his treasures and art projects.

It will all change so quickly. Little boys grow with a glorious ferocity, compelling a continual shift in tactics as we adults do our best to corral your headlong exuberance into courageous manhood. But for now, I treasure the memories of the warm, holy weight of you close to my heart.

You won’t remember our first meeting. But we will, my sweet grandson. Oh yes, we will.

Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.

Proverbs 17:6