Grandma Visits

June 2026

Dear Mom,

I am so grateful that you came for Sara’s birth, meeting her soon after she arrived. I feel incredibly blessed to have had the same opportunity with my first grandchild. I will never forget the moment of seeing him for the first time, within a half hour of his birth, talking to him in Spanish in a very gentle voice, telling him how much we loved him. At first his eyes were tightly shut, but hearing my quiet voice helped him feel safe. Soon his eyes were wide open as we looked at each other. What a gift!

Babies are such miracles, aren’t they? So tiny but radiating love. I could not wait to hold him. What a magical experience. I am deeply grateful that we had a whole week to be with Sam and his parents. We were all completely in love.

I am also grateful for technology. That we can see Sam weekly on FaceTime is remarkable. When Sara was born, I had to finish the role of film in my camera, get it developed and then send you pictures by mail. Now I get nearly daily texts with pictures to keep me up to date. They always bring me a smile.

That said, I did find many, many pictures of Sara, at all stages of her childhood, as we cleaned out the house after your passing. Your friends told me how you loved to share “Sara stories”. Now I understand.

In two weeks, it will be my turn and I cannot wait. Sara, husband and son are coming for four days at the end of the month. Since Doug’s family also lives in NH, they will divide their visit between the grandparents. Although I wish the visit were longer, I am grateful they can come to us this time.

Sam has grown so much in just two months and is a very happy, smiley baby. I am excited to hold him on my lap again so I can sing, talk and read to him in Spanish. The time will fly by but then we can go back to FaceTime!

Sara was very blessed to have seven years with you. We were fortunate to visit with you three times yearly in Cleveland and twice in NH. Thank you for always welcoming us with huge hugs and driving 1500 miles twice yearly to come to our home We always had a great time and will enjoy our happy memories forever.

Love,
Helen