I was away at a weekend women's retreat in Minneapolis when I got the news that my daughter had been induced and that her baby daughter was on the way. I cried and prayed with my roommate Ruthann, because I was far away from home.
Jen, Courtney and I were leaving for our drive home the next morning, and we kept in touch with my husband as we traveled, in case there was news. Cherie and her baby were in God's hands, and if I had to miss the birth, it was my own fault.
However, when I arrived home, the baby had not yet been born. I checked in at the hospital the next morning, and there was no indication that the baby would arrive soon, so I went to work for a while, to keep busy. My bosses and co-worker witnessed my blubbering reaction to the phone call in the afternoon, when my son-in-law Chris called to tell me that my granddaughter was waiting for me to come and meet her.
My son Thomas works near to my office, so the two of us hightailed it to the St. Boniface Hospital.... I can't remember seeing my dear son so happy about anything as this new little niece. He wasn't as thrilled when his sister Cherie was born.
Thomas was almost two years of age when Cherie was born at the same hospital. Thomas is the image of his father Werner Kliewer, my first husband who died suddenly in 2007 at the age of 48. It saddens me when I think that he is not here to witness the birth of his first grandchild, but I know he is aware, I am sure. :)
Holding my granddaughter in my arms for the first time is something I will never forget, and can't possibly describe in words. My present husband Darrell and I are the proud grandparents of Kaylee Ann Shearer. We are blessed to co-grandparent with Chris' Mom, Karen and her husband Daryl Beckingham.
Wern's parents are both gone, and Great Grandma Helen Goertzen missed the birth by six months. We were told of Cherie's pregnancy the day before my mother's funeral in April/12. One life has left us, and another joins us. This has been a time of sorrow, remembrance and unbridled joy.
