Dear Friends,
Today, I am writing to my granddaughter, Mia. She was born early this morning to my son, Ryan and his wife, Breanna. I am having a hard time thinking of anything else.
Welcome, little one.
I cannot wait to meet you later today. You’re resting right now and hopefully your mom and dad are getting a nap, as well, but I will see you soon. The world just got brighter, thanks to you, and for that I will always be grateful.
The whole family is excited about you.
Yesterday, I went to visit Granny, who is your great-great grandmother, and I asked her what she had been up to while we were in Maine. She said, “Just waiting for Mia.” She had a beautiful smile on her face when she said it. Someday your Dad and I will tell you all about Granny. Hopefully you get to meet her in person, but she is 97.
We come from strong stock on that side and Granny’s beauty and strength are coursing through your veins, too. You come from a long line of very strong people on both sides of your family. I can’t wait to see what you do with all the gifts you have been given.
You are entering the world in an interesting time, Mia. Some would say it is scary. It can be. Some would say it is amazing and wonderful. It can be those things, too. We face a lot of challenges, sweet baby, but we also are strong and resilient like your Granny. I believe that you will be part of a generation that makes our world safer and stronger and better for everyone.
Today is your first day. How amazing is that? Maybe someday you will read this, and I hope you do, because it will be here for you when you are ready. I’m sure I will write you a few more letters over the days, months, and years.
It’s hard to wrap my mind around the idea of being one day old, but everybody I know and love was also one day old at one point, even me, too. I am 53 on this day but will be 54 pretty soon. During your life, I will always be so much older than you. That’s a good thing.
You are one day old and I am 19,642 days old. Let that sink in a minute. Granny was born 35,472 days ago. That’s a lot of days, isn’t it? I wonder if you’ll like numbers like I do. In fact, I’m really curious what you’re going to like and dislike and what your interests will be. I have faith, though, that your mom and dad will give you every opportunity to build the life you want to build.
We can do a lot with our days, Mia. We can accomplish things, reach our goals, and build incredible worlds for ourselves. If I think about all the changes that have occurred in my almost 54 years, it makes me excited for the changes you will see. As you may have surmised by now, I am a bit of an optimist. I choose to see the good when I can.
There are lots of challenges, of course. As I mentioned before, the world can be scary. There are lots of things facing us at this moment that impact how we see and treat each other. I hope, by the time you read this, things are a lot better. Hopefully people will learn to see that if someone doesn’t believe the same things we believe, that does not mean they are automatically our enemy. It just means we need to listen to what they are saying openly and then make our decision about how we feel.
When we listen and do our best to understand others before we try to be understood (That’s Stephen Covey’s ideas, not mine), we can figure out how to make a world where everyone, at very least, feels valued. You mean so much to me, even on day one. I hope you always know that no matter what.
Grandpa (or whatever you choose to call me…and believe me, I will love whatever name you give me) loves you, Mia. I am so happy that you are here.
*****
See you tomorrow.

Seems like a good picture for today...
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