In Loving Memory of
Gramma Rose
June 6, 1955- November 4, 2006
28 th February 2006
Dear Jada Rose,
Greetings from Grandma Rose!! Just like your daddy before you, you entered the world and changed my life forever!! I'm sure there will always be something special about a first grandchild just as there is something very special about a first child~~your dad was my first child and made me a mother and here you are to make me a grandmother~~Thank you!!
You are one day old today and I was lucky enough to spend about 2 hours (spread out at various times throughout the day) just holding you and wondering how such a perfect and beautiful young lady could come to bless our lives to such a degree and in such a short time. When your mom and dad invited me to be present at your birth I was excited but I had no idea it would have the profound impact on me that it had. As I watched you enter this world I felt so distinctly and so very surely that you were being handed off to us by your grandfather, Mark Chilton. He was absolutely crazy about his kids—loved them with everything he had and I felt he had that same love for you and as he said good-bye he was reminding us to raise you well. I've gazed into your face so many times these last two days and have thought about how you so recently gazed into the eyes of your grandfather and the conversations you must have had. He lives on so very much in your own dad and it pleases me more than you will ever know~~those truly wonderful qualities of loving people and bringing laughter and happiness. And perhaps mostly just knowing how to enjoy the moment you are in.
I've also found myself contemplating the many lessons you will teach us with your presence. Your dad, my firstborn and only son, has taught me so many lessons for which I am profoundly grateful. My heart is full of gratitude for the opportunity to watch you teach him and your mom the many things they will learn as they travel this journey of parenthood. Things about love, devotion, sacrifice and gratitude—the many wonderful lessons we learn from our children~~thank you for being willing to be their first child and break them in on the parenting game!!
What will the future bring—sunny days watching sporting games in ball parks? Dance recitals? Concerts? Home videos of cousins romping and playing, teasing and fighting? Summers at Lake Powell and winters skiing our favorite slopes? Saturday afternoons making cookies or teaching you to use my sewing machine? Will you join me in my favorite things—working in the yard, hiking in the hills, making salsa or homemade jam? What will be the things this little girl most loves and enjoys as she grows and develops into a young woman? Jada Rose will always be the oldest of the grandchildren for Mama Rose~~she will be looked to for an example and role model~~a big responsibility for such a teeny little girl (a mere 5 pounds and 3 ounces at this writing!!) I'm sure you have seen the picture of your birth—a picture I fell in love with at first sight of a beautiful child I also fell in love with at first sight—a child screaming intently as she entered this world. The absolute reality of life itself!! You came and had the necessary energy and enthusiasm to just keep hollering at all of us for 15-20 minutes. It was so good to hear the vigor such a little body could put forth—a part of me believes you will always find within yourself that kind of energy and enthusiasm for the challenges ahead.
A perfect and beautiful little girl came to earth yesterday. She so recently spent time with her very own grandparent, great grandparents and most importantly her Heavenly Father. I promise I will try in every way I can to help you know how very special you are and how very special life is. Thank you for being part of our family~~we absolutely love you and are so excited to learn more about you and who you are. It thrills me to share my name with you~~I think we should help each other make it be a very special name!! I love you, Grandma Rose
We miss you Gramma Rose! Your hugs and kisses healed us all. Those who know Jada Rose will know you. Those who see her smile, hear her laugh, will see your smile, and hear your laugh. She is a living reminder of The Perfect Gift. YOU are a Perfect reminder of a Living Gift. You two are now forever linked through both the donation, and reception of The Perfect Gift. |
