Nothin' Sweeter

There's nothin' sweeter than my Grandad. Let me tell you, he is one gentle, loving, Godly Man. I had the privilege of taking Libbi to meet him for the first time on Saturday and what a blessing it was! MawMaw (who, believe me, is equally as sweet as Granddad) had come to visit us shortly after Libbi was born, but because Grandad is unable to travel, Libbi had not had the pleasure of meeting him just yet.

We arrived at the Azalea Gardens Nursing Home around lunchtime and of course could not go in until we had Libbi's picture made with the "Azalea Ladies." (If you're wondering....it's a van with the image of two of Azalea's finest women (may they rest in peace) on it...I'm assuming they use the van for "outings"; although I'm not sure where they would go since the two closest places to the Nursing Home are Atlanta Maternal Fetal Medicine and a plastic surgeon that specializes in liposuction and laser hair removal. I can't imagine these two services are in great demand from any of Azalea Garden's residents....)

Libbi was asleep at first, but woke up (thankfully in a good mood!) as soon as she heard MawMaw and Grandad's voices. We had to remind Libbi that even though MawMaw looks a lot like Angela Landsbury, she was NOT on Murder She Wrote and did not offer her voice to the teapot from Beauty and the Beast. I'm not sure if she believed us though....

MawMaw enjoyed lovin' on Libbi and counting all her rolls (kidding) especially since Libbi has more than doubled in weight in the six weeks since MawMaw last saw her (no kidding!) Libbi was a real trooper and let everyone pass her around and "ooo" and "ahhh" over her.... and just to make sure everyone knew how sweet she is she even threw out a few smiles for good measure.

Grandad was so excited to meet Libbi and when their eyes met, it was love at first sight.

Sadly, I know that Libbi won't get to "meet" the Grandad from my childhood. She won't get to eat Sunday lunches with him and hear about how it was the "best meal he ever had." She will not be able to ride in his truck for candy runs to "Jordan's Mall" or be able to hear him play the piano and make up silly songs. She'll miss out on his jokes (which may be a blessing in disguise since they were sometimes inappropriate) and even his dream of becoming a clogger. =) But I choose not to focus on all the things that she'll miss out on and even the things that we miss about Grandad, but instead focus on the amazing gifts that Grandad still has to offer....

Not a day goes by that he doesn't proclaim his undying love for his wife and for his God. He may have forgotten many things, but his love for MawMaw and for the Lord are ever present and he won't hesitate to tell you how much he loves them both each and every day! I am so thankful that he was such an amazing example of what a Grandfather should be and that my dad (Libbi's Buddy) is now following in his footsteps. I praise God that Libbi will be able to experience the goodness and love of her great-Grandad for years to come through her Buddy and if you ask me, there's Nothin' Sweeter!