a letter to my granddaughter~

     Good morning dear ones, all of you, from here along the Western Slopes of the state of Colorado.  It's the early morning time here and we have awoken to yet another day.  You know that's a sign, right?  That awakening part?  There's a reason for our being here and although we don't know what the day is yet to bring, we still move forward in faith and hope as we see what the next 24-hour period of time has in store for us.  God is faithful and good so I figure whatever is in my part of the "plan", well I can get through it and guess what?  So can you.  A beautiful little blessing arrived on earth two days past and with that I received the gift of my first grandchild.  This blog post is for that little one and maybe she shall read these words herself some day and understand how much a "grandma" who lives far away loves her so very much.  I never thought much about being a grandmother yet at age 58, I now understand how very much it means to be given that "title".  My heart is full.

Dear Catherine Lois,

     Hello little one!  It's me, your "Grandma Peggy". 

     When your daddy sent me your picture yesterday, I was at school helping some of my students during recess.  I'd been waiting to see a photo of your sweet face and when I saw it come across on the screen of my phone, I had to just stop and gaze at it for a long time.  Some of my students noticed a tear in my eye and they realized right away what I was looking at.  They are used to me getting "teary eyed" this year but hey that's another longer story little one.  So they came up around me and looked at you too!  There's a young boy, a good kid named Xzavier, who was standing right by me and since I couldn't hug you, I just hugged him instead.  It worked out. 

     You are beautiful and I just have a feeling as you grow up that you will be just like your momma (and daddy too) and your beauty will go deep into the inside of you.  You cannot help but to have a good and kind heart because with parents such as yours well, that's just how you were made to be.

     It made me most happy late last night when your daddy called to let me know that you had been named.  "Catherine Lois Miller" is a good and strong name for you my granddaughter.  You have been given the names of two of the finest women that I ever knew in my life and how proud they would be to know that now there is a little girl who will be called as such.  You shall learn more about those women, your great-grandmother Lois Scott and your great-great grandmother Catherine Brown as the years go by.  This much I can tell you about them....they were fiercely independent and a bit stubborn as that kind of thing goes.  I would wish for you to have some of their "spirit" as you live your life.  They would have loved you and in my heart I just know that even though they have been long gone from the earth now, that in Heaven above they wait and they are most happy you made it!

     Little Catherine, you are far away from me now as far as the miles in distance are concerned, but in my heart I have already tucked you deep inside.  I  will carry you with me each and every day no matter where I am at.  In just a few weeks, I will get on a plane that will take me to where you are and I am already anticipating what it will be like to hold you in my arms.  I'm grateful that you have two "grandmas" and that your other one is close by.  Every kid should grow up with a grandma, just around the corner :)  Now for a kid, "THAT'S" the life.  And just for the record, I have been told countless times by students over the years that I have "really nice Grandma skin" so I hope that you feel the same way.  Just saying little girl, just saying.

     It's time for me to go and get ready for the new day to begin.  I'm thinking about you right now my dear little one and pray each day for God to be with you and your parents as you all begin this new adventure called "life" together.  Catherine Lois, if I could give you any advice, I suppose it would be to never be afraid of what life has in store for you.  Be brave and enter into it.  You are now a part of "the plan" and it was no accident that you should have been born on March 3rd of 2014.  Your destiny awaits you.

     See you very soon!  I will love you forever.

     Grandma Peggy

This is me and I love you!