It is such a majestic opportunity for us to once again welcome a grandchild fresh from his heavenly home and parentage to commence his mortal adventure, leaving behind the comforts of premortality. This grandiose moment of seeing the picture for the first time of our 11th grandchild in the eventide of our lives as grandparents brings to mind the words of an unknown author which says, “Grandchildren are the hands by which we take hold of heaven.”
While
cheerfully and excitedly viewing the lovely infantile images of the little babe at the
very day of his birth, in my mind also reverberate the words of the poet
William Wordsworth in which from his unclouded vision of our endless beginnings
penned these lines:
“Our birth
is but a sleep and a forgetting;
The Soul
that rises with us, our life's Star,
Hath had
elsewhere its setting
And cometh
from afar;
Not in
entire forgetfulness,
And not in
utter nakedness,
But trailing
clouds of glory do we come
From God,
who is our home:
Heaven lies
about us in our infancy!”
(William
Wordsworth - 1770-1850
"Ode on
Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood." https://poets.org)
Our excitement of having him to
join with our family in mortality was first stirred up and quickened as Shauna
Megan, her mother, happily announced her conception. The joy we felt was even
amplified as it was expected that he will be born on the 29th of October 2019,
the birth month of his grandmother Letecia of which she will celebrate a
milestone of 70 years of mortal existence. To us his grandparents, he was a
divine heavenly gift for his grandma’s birthday. Hence, instead of having a
well celebrated 70th birthday on October 30th, she decided that we take a trip
to Cebu City to welcome our grandson and visit the temple to express gratitude
to Heavenly Father for the wondrous gift by doing vicarious ordinances for our
dead ancestors at the same time. We missed his coming during our visit, but we
are happy that he was eventually given birth on the birth
month of his mother.
It
was timely and perhaps a coincidence that Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf in his
general conference message this October 2019, talked about our journey and
adventure in mortality, relating the adventure story of Bilbo Baggins, a
hobbit, featured in a popular fantasy novel for children, which I guess his mother is very familiar with and will tell him in the future. His mother is a
fan of this kind of adventure stories.
Elder
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, thus declared: “Perhaps one of the reasons this story
resonates with so many is because it is our story too.
“Long,
long ago, even before we were born, in an age dimmed by time and clouded from
memory, we too were invited to embark on an adventure. It was proposed by God,
our Heavenly Father. Accepting this adventure would mean leaving the comfort
and security of His immediate presence. It would mean coming to earth for a
journey filled with unknown danger and trial.” (Your Great Adventure, by Elder
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, October 2019 General Conference, churchofjesuschrist.org).
Indeed,
similar to the story of Bilbo Baggins in the Children’s fantasy, our
grandson Charles is presented a plan to take an amazing journey and adventure into
the mortal world with the promise of a grand reward---eternal life. But his is
a true story. He understood firsthand the impending difficult consequences, but
chose to embark and accept the challenge.
He
is now on board the commencement of his mortal adventure. He is so blessed to
have chosen to be born in an atmosphere of love and kindness and gifted with
parents who are spiritually inclined, although yet of different religious
convictions, which is to be his first challenge in this adventure. With parents
who are intellectually gifted and morally disposed, there lies an evident
brilliant prospect of a well-positioned future. Yet still the road map to his
grand adventure is for him to create and go along and keep an eye on.
In
his growing up he will be surrounded with good hearted relatives on both sides
of the family that will provide him with kindly love, guidance and nurturing
apart from the deepest love and guiding hands of his father and mother and the
eternal bonds of family love and affinity.
He
is the first of our grandchildren to have been born in a marriage of two different
cultures. But I believe that this is not much of a concern. I have my highest
respect to his paternal grandfather---Tim---who, in an honest gesture of
appreciation and respect gave me a token, a pin of an Australian and Philippine
Flags together and declared these undying words to me: “This is an emblem of friendship
and love between two nations, two people, and two families.” These words for me
is a beacon that will link our families forever.
Being
the first grandchild of his paternal family, love and affection will surely abound
bountifully for him. But that will also be matched by our family love. We are
always hopeful that he will be linked to us, together with his family, into the
realms of eternity.
Although he left behind the comforts of his
heavenly home and the ‘immediate presence’ of his heavenly parents, yet as he
now embarks in the commencement of his mortal adventure, completely left
without the memory of those pre-earth knowledge and life, he will be ushered in
by his most loving mortal parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, and cousins
from both sides of the family within the joyful grasp of affectionate and warm
embraces.
However,
as it is, he’s got to grow and develop into a man that he is destined to be. By
then, through the guidance and nurturing hands of his loving parents, he will begin
to understand better the grand and marvelous purpose of life and his mission on
earth. He will subsequently realize the magnitude and significance of the many
detours, trials and dead ends of life. He will come to know and appreciate the
reasons for disappointments, anxieties, heartaches, pains and sorrows and all
other varying challenges that may bar his adventure’s path. Then at some vantage point up on the animated
hills of life’s experiences, he will see in perfect vista the beautiful
landscape and panorama that covers the dark valleys of life and therefore
accept the reality that after all the trials and difficulties that his
adventure brings, the truth remains that, “Men are, that they might have joy.” (2
Nephi 2:25).
As
his maternal grandfather and together with his grandmother---Letty---we may not
have enough time in mortality to witness his growing up. All we can wish is for
him to be able to live his childhood with health and vigor; with greater joy and gladness; and grow
in knowledge and wisdom and spiritual capacity to cope with the challenges of
youth and overcome the assaults of the adversary during his vulnerable tender
age. That in his juvenile years he may be brought up in the nurture and
admonition of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ through the nurturing and
guiding hands of his parents. That he may be raised as a responsible adult and emulate
the kindly virtues and attributes of his parents. That he may grow up as a man
of intelligence and stature, exercising with diligence the various spiritual
gifts and talents in which he is inherently bestowed. That he may develop the hereditary
cognitive skills and abilities that are genetically common in both of his
parents. That he may cultivate the kind of industry and diligence exemplified by
his father and mother. That he may have superior interest in his future quest for
education and learning. That he may grow to be an instrument in the hands of
God to gather his family on both sides of the veil to be part of God’s kingdom.
That he may be ordained to the holy priesthood and actively participates in the
affairs of the church and serve in righteousness and in truth to the end. That
he may be blessed to have a family of his own and receive the exalting ordinances
in the House of the Lord.
As his grandfather, I cherish
and treasure the day and time and the best opportunity to meet him in mortality,
and be able to write and leave for him my words and best wishes which he may,
in due time, read and ponder. Although we missed him during our supposed
welcoming trip in Cebu City for his scheduled birth, I want him to know that I
am so eagerly desirous to meet, hug and cuddle him soon after his birth. As I
wished to tenderly feel the fondness of his presence, I especially quote this
wonderful words of a poem:
“The promise
of tomorrow
And the hope
of dreams come true...
A reminder
of the childhood
That's still
a part of you...
The wonder
of a miracle
From which
this love began...
There is so
much found in the touch
Of holding a
grandchild's hand.”
(Author
Unknown)
Like
the prophet Lehi in the Book of Mormon, “I have spoken these few words unto you…,
my [grandson Charles], in the last days of my probation; and I have chosen the
good part…And I have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of
your soul… Amen.” (2 Nephi 2:30).
We
express our warmest congratulations to Richard Albert and Shauna Megan for the
birth of their firstborn son and child Charles “Dodong” Betita Douglas-Denton. May
love, joy, harmony, unity and peace continue to fill their hearts and allow the
same to bloom and blossom more abundantly around the circle of their family
life. May they continue to build a solid foundation and stronger building
blocks of a happy home as they are now awarded the first priceless trust from God in their marital partnership. .
