Surrounded by Grandparents!

I'm surrounded by Grandparents these days! No, I'm not spending my mornings at the McDonald's playground. We're just at that age where our friend's children are having babies. Some friends had a granddaughter this weekend, others just found out theirs will be a grandson, others are in the last month of waiting. And many friends pepper the conversations with pictures, stories and gushiness about these amazing creatures. It's a stage of life I never even imagined and it's really cool.
There's this glow about being a grandparent - totally different glow than that new parent glow. The new parent glow is all bright and crisp with a fervent edging of fear. Stark, raving fear. The grandparent glow is mellow like polished pewter or morning sunlight on a still lake. Grandparents know. They know all those beautiful, carefully selected names will take on lives of their own when hollered across the backyard or when creatively shortened into clipped initials or weird nicknames by 5th grade friends. They know how those cute, matching nurseries become bedrooms and the backdrop of major battles over wet towels, dirty dishes, and late night phone calls. They know.
And they smile. The smile isn't an evil "-just wait and find out smile". It's that smile of remembrance. The smile that says, "Wow, we made it this far. Survived it all and here is my child carrying a child; holding a child." A smile for all the coming, unimagined joys for these incredibly imaginative young parents who have no idea how full their heart will be on a daily basis. Or how long and dark nights can be.
I love that smile on my friends and love watching them become something they never were before. Whole new creations right in front of my eyes hold me spellbound.
Isn't life surprising?
Isn't life good?