God has said yes to Benjamin鈥檚 prayers. After four younger sisters, he has a brother at last. Our teeniest grandbean arrived after only thirty minutes of labour just two days before I began this column. He squeaks fluent newborn and has a halo of white-blonde hair.
Ezra鈥檚 arrival makes Lois, by twenty months the next up the ladder, officially a kid. At least, according to their four-year old sister.
鈥淗ow many kids live at your house, now, Sherah?鈥� I asked, before Ezra鈥檚 birth.
She touched her fingers. 鈥淥ne, two, free, four. FOUR!鈥�
鈥淎re you sure?鈥� I named her siblings, ending with Lois.
鈥淟ois ISN鈥橳 a kid, Nana!鈥�
鈥淪he isn鈥檛?鈥�
鈥淣O! She鈥檚 a toddler. She won鈥檛 be a kid till Mama鈥檚 baby comes out.鈥�
When we all met Ezra, Sherah watched Lois鈥檚 little fingers knead his soft cheek. 鈥淪ee Nana!鈥� she told me. 鈥淣ow Lois is a KID!鈥� That makes six grandbeans for the Preacher and me, for those who keep track, and they live only a few hundred steps from us.
We鈥檝e noticed something throughout these busy grandparenting years. We鈥檝e developed an energy crisis. We run out of batteries a tad sooner (a big tad sooner) than the children and need to recharge more often, especially after recess lets out at our house. Some days it takes three days to recharge, in fact. But having a large and loving family of active human be鈥檌ns has incalculable rewards. Great conversations, for one.
鈥淣ana, when I get bigger, I鈥檓 going to live with YOU,鈥� said that same four-year-old sprite as she and Lois picked raspberries alongside me just a few days ago. 鈥淎nd we鈥檒l have KIDS! I鈥檒l be the mom and you can be their aunty.鈥�
鈥淥h, that would be such fun!鈥� I plopped a few raspberries into Sherah鈥檚 bucket, noticing that Lois鈥檚 two fists, streaming raspberry juice were making regular trips into her equally stained mouth. 鈥淏ut perhaps I could be the great grandma instead of aunty?鈥�
She thought about that. 鈥淏ut who鈥檚 Gampa going to be then?鈥�
鈥淯m, how 鈥榖out Great Gampa?鈥�
Her small face screwed into a squinty frown. 鈥淲ell then,鈥� she asked, 鈥淲ho will be the dad? 鈥�
That will sort itself out eventually. Benjamin at that age wanted nothing more than to marry his younger sister. They even roped me into performing the wedding after church let out, at the front of the sanctuary. Another sister served as a toddling bridesmaid. Time and maturity has annulled that union.
Little Ezra, welcome to your big, sometimes crazy family. We love you. Jesus loves you. In a world of bad news, you provide eight pounds of the opposite. You make Nana and Gampa鈥檚 hearts sing, even when we鈥檙e too tired to show it. Our prayers helped your beautiful mom usher you into this world, and they鈥檒l follow you as long as we can string the words together. And when our batteries won鈥檛 recharge on earth, ever again, they鈥檒l live on in God鈥檚 ears.
