The Open Door

Yet again, God has blessed our family with a precious gift from heaven. I would like to introduce you to my newest granddaughter, Hannah Reagan Curtin. She is an angel.

She never cries, constantly asks for her granddaddy and sleeps through the night. Well, maybe all of that is not true, but she does ask for her granddaddy on a regular basis. It's just that I am the only one who has ever heard her ask for me. On an afternoon this week as I held her in my arms, she looked up into my face and said, "I love you, granddaddy."

GBC Executive Director, J. Robert White cradles his families' newest miracle, Hannah Reagan Curtin.

That's pretty remarkable for a twelve-week-old baby!

To be completely honest, I'm trying to make myself feel a little better. What actually happened is this. While we were at Kathy's house this week, Janice put Hannah up on her shoulder while she sat there on the sofa carrying on a conversation in normal speaking volume and in just a matter of seconds I looked over there and Hannah had gone sound asleep.

I commented, somewhat amazed, that Hannah had already gone to sleep. She loves her Grammy! There is just something very special about a mother's or grandmother's shoulder. I try not to get too worked up over this, but what I am getting ready to describe has happened with each grandbaby that has come along.

Janice will take the baby, put her up on her shoulder and continue with her conversation, or whatever else she is doing, and the baby will fall fast asleep every time.

Once I know that the baby is sound asleep, I will ask if I can hold her, and Janice has always said, "Sure." She passes the baby to me. I put the baby on my shoulder. To date my record time is about five minutes before the baby is wide-awake and crying. I don't get it! What's the deal here?

I'll tell you what it is, men. There is absolutely something very special about a mother's or grandmother's presence and touch. It's an amazing thing. I can get the baby crying really good and hand her back over to Janice or Kathy and immediately, I'm not talking about several minutes later, I'm saying, immediately, the baby stops crying.

I am convinced that God has given something very special to women that we men don't have. I don't know what to call it other than a mother's tenderness and love.

I love all my children and grandchildren, but I don't have the touch. I can rough house with the boys and laugh and play with the girls, but the babies have an extra sense about moms and grandmothers.

When I thank God for my blessings, right at the top of the list are Meaghan, Hannah, Loren, Jake, Ryan and Ben. Janice and I thank God every day for all six of our precious grandbabies, all six under the age of four! When we all get together it's difficult to carry on a conversation over the precious noise of laughter and squeals. It sounds like the music of heaven to me. Every grandparent knows what I am talking about.

Now, I hope you don't mind if I take this space every now and then to talk about my grandchildren. Why do I do it? Because I just can't help it!

God is good, all the time! All the time, God is good!