The Gift of Grandchildren

By Gene Koester

The Gift of Grandchildren gives a personal account of the author's current state of life and reflects on the awareness of one's own existence through the experience of becoming a grandparent. The book gives individual accounts of the author's grandchildren as they grow from infant to teenager and the relationship created to bond two distinct generations. The unique storyline of each grandchild is peppered with comment and observation from the author, which can easily be identified by today's grandparent, those about to embark on the blessing of becoming a grandparent, or those curious about the effects grandparents have on grandchildren and the special memories grandchildren give to the grandparent.

The Gift of Grandchildren gives the reader a plethora of examples in respect to family traditions, mores, conversations, and endeavors, which are enhanced by the formation of the grandparent's knowledge and the grandchild's curiosity. These aspects of life are presented in a manner designed to bring laughter, contemplation, and spiritual reflection to the reader through recognition of events pertinent to the human experience.

The Gift of Grandchildren was written with the idea of God's gift of life being very special for those parents who have entered the realm of becoming a grandparent. It is not only part of God's plan but a glorious aspect of the cycle of life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098090180

Book preview

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The Gift of Grandchildren

Gene Koester

Copyright © 2021 by Gene Koester

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Emily

Ryan

Jaxon

Piper

The Cousins

Family Influence

The Greatest Gift

To the memory of William and Lydia Koester and Charles and Clemence Westhoff

Acknowledgments

Information Consultant—Nancy Koester M.A.

Cover Photo Jessica Denton B.A.

Draft Advisor Natalie Mosley D.O.

A Note from the Author

Wow! I am a grandparent, and I am writing a book about what a gift being a grandparent is and the gratitude I have for the grace of God. God has given all of us the gift of life; and if you have been blessed to live long enough to enjoy the true miracle of birth, through your children and grandchildren, you are very aware of how limited our time on earth is and what a blessing time spent with family is to mankind.

In writing this book, I have had time to reflect on the different stages of my life; and I have to be honest, I find myself realizing the best part of life is the stage of becoming and acknowledging the gift of being a grandparent. The other stages of life are important and very rewarding, but experience and wisdom put life in perspective, and grandchildren benefit from our experience as senior citizens.

When I was young, I just wanted to be older and participate in the activities my older cousins were involved in such as school sports, driving, and wearing the latest styles. When I became a teenager, I did not think school was very important, or at least not as important as having a good time. I knew my family valued education, my teachers guided me toward college, and in my heart I knew college was right for me. But I did not have the wisdom to see its benefits other than the opportunities it gave me to party with my friends.

Luckily, or should I say blessedly, God was putting wonderful people in my life to influence my decisions about my future and what would ultimately affect my daughters and grandchildren. The first blessing came in the form of my wife, Nancy. If you are now a grandparent and reading this book, it will make sense to you how important choosing your spouse is to raising your children and reaching goals set in your youthful, ambitious, and goal-setting years. If you are not yet a grandparent or, for that matter, a parent, let me assure you that the best of life is yet to come.

I know when you are young you think the grandparent stage of life is the beginning of the end. Nothing could be further from the truth. The grandparent stage is the beginning of understanding life and recognizing the importance of living every moment to its fullest.

So, come along with me as I give you one person’s account of what has convinced me God rewards the job of being a parent with the promotion of becoming a grandparent.

Chapter 1

Emily

My wife, Nancy, and I have four grandchildren, two boys and two girls. They range from ages four to thirteen. Emily is thirteen; Ryan, ten; Jaxon, seven; and Piper, four. The oldest two grandchildren are children of our oldest daughter, Jessica, and her husband, Shawn; the younger two are from our daughter Natalie and her husband, Josh. They are healthy, spirited, funny, and independent; and, thanks to God, they each have their own unique personality. I know if you are a grandparent of two or more grandchildren, you are probably (generally speaking) in total agreement with my analysis.

Society in the twenty-first century allows for more interaction and analysis of our children and grandchildren due in part to the fact the family unit is smaller than in previous generations. My grandmother had twelve children and over fifty grandchildren. Therefore, there was not a lot of time for her to look at our personality quirks, our unique interests, common fears, or God-given talents. It was enough to remember our names and birthdays.

The modern-day grandparents on average have raised a couple of kids, spent a number of years in the empty nest syndrome, met their future in-laws, helped with wedding plans, and then, after a few years of their children being married, are given the wonderful news of the expectancy of their first grandchild. Now, I know this varies somewhat with different families; but again, I am just talking in general.

Nancy and I received our notice of becoming grandparents in 2006. The excitement was overwhelming. Nancy and I are both from large families and the announcement of a birth in the family is celebrated like Christmas, the Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving all in one. Many of our friends, who had already been blessed with grandchildren, told us we were about to experience the best part of our lives. We initially took this with a grain of salt, thinking we had the experience of raising our two daughters, so what would be different about another child in the family. The key was the simple fact that we had never been grandparents. Yes, we had two wonderful daughters of which we were very proud of and our love for them immense, but we were about to find a new sense of pride and learn to express our love for children in a different manner.

Raising children is fantastic, because you are so involved with the actual process of them growing, you don’t always have the time to step back and enjoy the proceedings. Toilet training, first steps, first words, first year of school, joining clubs, teams and church groups, meeting friends, favorite teachers, boyfriends, graduations, and weddings are just a few things that are memorable but, at times, stressful. Being a grandparent means being part of these experiences more as a spectator with a smattering of input as opposed to the responsibility of carrying out the given task.

When my daughters were young and we would visit my parents, my mom and dad showered them with attention, gifts, candy, and humor. I can remember my daughters asking me why I couldn’t be more like Grandpa. My response was, Girls, that man who dotes over you and gives into your every whim is not the man who raised me. What they could not understand at the time was my dad as my father made me toe the line in respect to home, school, and work. I then told them that someday, they would have children and I would get to be the fun guy, who would spark the question, Why can’t you be more like Grandpa?

Emily Rose Denton gave me that opportunity on May 26, 2006. It was a day which incorporated many different feelings with a common theme of love. The love of our daughter, her husband, our new grandchild, and life itself put a smile on everyone’s faces as we looked at little Emily and felt the miracle of life in our arms. I knew immediately that Nancy and I were beginning a new chapter in our lives, because we were the grandparents and not the parents.