10: One Another

One thing that helps you through a journey like this, whether it is working through sugar control concerns or Afib, is sharing that experience with others. As you do that, you build a relationship and trust with one another. What you hope for, at least for me, is that the message being delivered in posts such as these begins to resonate with others. In some way, maybe the messages help someone in need.

Growing up, I had the best example of this from one individual who epitomized Godly care for one another--my grandmother, Joanne Thrift, whom I called Maw Maw.

Maw Maw was and continues to be one of the best people I have ever known. Her passion was always for others. Whether through the stories she wrote or the interactions she had with them in person, she lived a blessed life of loving those around her and treating others the way she would want to be treated as well.

Maw Maw was a journalist for her career, most recently for the Anderson Independent Mail. What I remember about her time writing for the newspaper was her articles that appeared in the Home Towner. She would write stories about people from our hometown of Anderson, SC, and the surrounding local areas every week. Her stories always showed one thing, inspiration. The reason being, that's what Maw Maw did for all of us, inspire.

One way she inspired was through her humility. Maw Maw never boasted about anything she accomplished. I never knew that Maw Maw once helped Ronald Reagan celebrate his birthday while he was campaigning in the area until she retired from the newspaper and it was brought up in articles and on a television snippet with WYFF about her career. I never knew all of the awards Maw Maw received for her writing until she passed away in 2012. In fact, I hardly ever remember her boasting about anything she ever did. I heard her boasting about the things she loved, which were typically things about her family, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers on the street.

She held to God's word to love one another. That was never more clear than the way she loved her family. Maw Maw worked diligently as I was growing up to always bring her family back together on a regular basis. Whether it was Sunday lunches, family reunions, birthday parties, or sometimes all of the above at the same time, she enjoyed doing all she could for her family.

I loved going to Maw Maw and Paw Paw's house on Sundays to have Sunday Lunch. There was nothing better than eating some of Maw Maw's mac and cheese! I still make it to this day because she left me the recipe. I honestly don't believe I could live without it. It's the best in the world. But all her food was great because she did it for us so much. So many Sundays we spent gathered together, watching movies and sports. We would laugh, play, and enjoy the happiness she brought to us all.

As a child, I spent the night at Maw Maw and Paw Paw's house almost every Friday. We would stay up late watching television, everything from Star Trek to Tales from the Darkside (the 1960s versions shown on Nick at Night). Then on Saturday morning, I would get up and eat breakfast while watching Saturday Morning Cartoons (everything from Looney Tunes to The Real Ghostbusters, Transformers, Muppet Babies, Pee Wee's Playhouse, and Garfield and Friends). But what I really loved doing was when Maw Maw would play stuff with me on the Bridge of the Starship Enterprise.

She let me turn one unoccupied room in her house into a playroom for me and my cousins. At the time, Star Trek was something I absolutely loved, everything about space even. She did all she could to encourage that creativity in me, as she was quite creative. So, I took toys, posters, and everything I could to build my version of the Enterprise. We had a ball in there battling Klingons, Romulans, and sometimes even family members and friends. It was all in good fun, of course, and Maw Maw would laugh and laugh as we played.

When she wrote stories that I remembered, they usually corresponded to our family. Many a birthday and Christmas, we were entertained by Maw Maw's tales of trying to rhyme our names with something in the story she created. Sometimes, she would take movie quotes to see if we knew the film that corresponded to it. Sometimes, we would have to guess whose birthday she was talking about during the tale. Other times, she would tell us what our names meant, like mine meaning "One who heals" or Dustin's name meaning "Brown Stone." Those stories did so much to make us smile, laugh, and fill us with joy so much. It's hard to remember every story and how it went because she did so many, at least 30 years worth, just from the time that I recall. But she didn't just do this for us. She did this for everyone, too. She epitomized agape love, living her life loving others and caring about them.

That was her passion, telling stories about others. Once, I managed the social media pages for the Clemson University School of Nursing, and during those 4 and 1/2 years of doing so, I tried to do things I recalled Maw Maw doing--keeping it on the sunny side. As a colleague once said to all the faculty about my posting, they were celebratory, as I routinely highlighted the accomplishments of others across the platforms. For that short period, it made me feel like I had a small taste of what Maw Maw did so well as a person and professional. But what I did on social media didn't come close to the level she was capable of in her musings. She was one of a kind, and I could only ever hope to be as good of a writer as she was in her lifetime.

She inspired me in every way, and I was blessed to have someone like her in my life to shine a light on what it truly means to be alive. Loving others, caring more, being humble, serving, and holding God above all things. That's the story of Maw Maw. She let me and my whole family know why it is important to love one another. Thank you, Jesus, for allowing me to have someone like her in my life. 

But that's just one of the many people in my life that has helped me grow into the person I am today. I've written things previously about my parents and in-laws, but I want to touch on others who have inspired me to show love to others the way they did.

Tune in next time for 10: One Another, Part 2.

10: The 5.8 Syndrome

Journeying into the Fall of 2022, I continued working through the tenure track process and all the stress that ensued with that experience. Of course, with that stress, I started stressing about other things. For instance, what will my A1c do this time?

The first thought that went through my mind was, here we go again.

I've since decided to label this year as The 5.8 Syndrome!

From November 19, 2021, to November 18, 2022, the 5.8 Syndrome seemed appropriate. Thrown in the middle of all that was that my A1c had been 5.6 in May 2022. But that didn't seem to matter. Once again, my focus shifted back to the "woes me" mentality because I sometimes felt I wasn't eating that great due to stress from navigating the tenure track. Additionally, my weight was creeping up again.

By May 2022, I weighed 210 lbs. When I went in for my check-up in November 2022, I weighed 216 lbs. In November 2021, I weighed 202 lbs. So, I gained 14 lbs in one year!

Egads!!!!

In August 2021, I also weighed 202 lbs which had me down by 29.6 lbs from where I began in April 2021. In November 2022, I was only down 15.6 lbs from where I started.

Obviously, my diet had changed since August 2021. But my activity had not. From March 2021 to November 2022, I walked or ran EVERY SINGLE DAY. The only exceptions were when I had some heart concerns that became nothing and when I had COVID. Clearly, I wouldn't have exercised during those few days. Otherwise, you would have found me walking or running in my neighborhood, at the AnMed Health North Campus track, in downtown Columbia, all over Clemson, Greenville, Pigeon Forge, Surfside Beach, and pretty much everywhere I could do those activities. Remember, since March 2021, by November 2022, I had run in 8 5Ks or 1-mile races too. All that running leading up to the races certainly put on one other thing...muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat; what happened over the past year is I had replaced fat with muscle. This was noticeable in my clothing because I still wore the stuff I had after losing weight.

But it is hard to see muscle sometimes. For instance, you tend to look at your arms more when you think about muscles. I don't have the most muscular arms, but I'm working on it. However, when I looked at my legs, that was, and still is, a very different story. I have muscles and veins bulging all over my legs, meaning I have built them up with the exercise regimen. That's a good thing.

What that translated to is my A1c wasn't changing much in November. Despite my stress eating or concerns with my diet, my exercise routine was stout and helped me maintain things. I needed to tweak things diet-wise to get where I wanted to be.

When I got the result of 5.8 again, I didn't freak out this time like I had the year before. I didn't like it and was disappointed, but a friend helped me put things in perspective right away. They basically told me, "You're doing great, Jason." 

In fact, I was doing good. My other blood work showed the following:

11/21/2022 (Expected values in parentheses)

Glucose 108 (74-106)

BUN 15 (7-18)

Creatinine 0.970 (0.60-1.30)

GFRaa >60

GFRc >60

Calcium 8.8 (8.5-10.1)

Sodium 140 (136-145)

Potassium 5.0 (3.5-5.1)

Chloride 104 (98-107)

CO2 29.9 (21-32)

Anion Gap 11.1 (9-15)

Besides the 5.8 A1c, my blood sugar was the only other lab elevated that day. I was up slightly for whatever reason, but it was still going well everywhere else.

As suggested here, I just needed to adjust my diet and work on things. Little did I know, though, something would assist me right away with diet modifications. Believe me, though, this is not a method you would want to use at all. But I, unfortunately, had to endure the pain it brought me.

I'm talking about...a kidney stone.

Tune in next time for the next segment, 10: Kidney of Fire.

10: Living

"Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on a journey and reminds us to cherish every moment, because it will never come again. What we leave behind is not as important as how we've lived. After all, Number One, we're only mortal."-Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: Generations.

I've always loved this final dialogue from the film. This was the last Star Trek film to be released while I was still in high school, December 1994. I was 17 when that movie came out, so this line resonated with me. At that point in my life, I had many years ahead. It seems like yesterday I was with my parents in Charlotte, seeing this film after my final Cross Country meet at the Wendy's Invitational. A few months later, I graduated from T. L. Hanna High School, Class of 1995.

That seems like a blur now that nearly 29 years have passed since that day. But time has been a companion all along the way.

The Bible has a lot to say about living too. One particular verse says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."-Colossians 3:23-24.

This verse, too, says little about leaving something behind. It speaks volumes about how you live. Cherishing those moments as they come along the way and serving something greater than yourself or anyone else.

Finishing high school, you have great opportunities to come, but the greatest is who you allow yourself to become. No one is ever defined by their actions but by who they choose to be. It's always your choice, as Mrs. Kay once said.

Despite being in the throngs of a dissertation in 2021, I still had plenty of time to reflect on the choices I had made to that point in life. Many were good, but I indeed recalled the ones that led me to where I was by June 2021, involving my health. I had made some poor choices in that aspect of my life. As outlined in prior posts, I developed bad habits in my diet and had become a bit lazy in my exercise routine. But those were all my choices to make.

Then amid it, I had some startling news between March-June 2021. Three of my former classmates from high school had passed away. Two passed in March, right before I realized the A1c of 10. The other was in May of that year. I remembered them all very well.

Jason Anderson was someone that I played sports with many times throughout middle and high school. We would go to the bowl in Anderson, down below the old swim center (which is gone now) on the grounds of McCants Middle School (formerly known as T. L. Hanna High). It was always fun playing football down there with the guys. I once showed up late for a game that had already begun. I walked out on the field just as they called hike to run a play. Jason came charging around as a defender to get the offensive player, and I just stopped dead in his path. I didn't know what to do, so I stood there like a pole in the middle of the field. Jason ran smack into me and almost fell down. Afterward, he joked, "I couldn't tackle the guy because Thrift threw a nasty block." It wasn't intentional, but still pretty cool. He, unfortunately, died of a heart attack in March 2021.

Nikki Carson was a beautiful young woman when I saw her in school. She was sweet as she could be, from what I remembered. Always pleasant with a brilliantly bright smile. I always remembered that about her. She was always willing to help, laughed a lot, and radiated kindness. I didn't know her as well as Jason or interact with her as much, but when I did, I always enjoyed talking to her and seeing her insights about things. Unfortunately, she, too, died in March 2021, I believe from a heart-related condition.

Both of these individuals' passing got my attention and was another reason I wanted to get myself checked out. When I had my heart rate spike to over 130 beats while sitting still, I was worried something terrible would happen to me next. If I had not gotten checked in March 2021 and never knew about the 10 A1c, I may have joined them. But, again, it was my choice to pursue a new course that could help me in my life. Did Jason or Nikki have a choice with their conditions? I do not know. All I did know is what I could do to help myself.

After my successes through May 18, 2021, I continued living my life throughout that month and beyond. It would still be challenging, but if I chose wisely, I could manage what I was going through. I was managing it well with the reduced A1c and feeling great. Then, I heard about the passing of another classmate.

Trevor Walling was someone I had known almost all the way through grade school. I wasn't close to him, but I knew of him and interacted with him some. Trevor was voted the Class Clown at our senior banquet in 1995. And he loved it! So did everyone else because he was good at it. He could dance too. At senior prom that year, I remembered seeing him charge out on the dance floor when no one else did, dancing to the music without concern. The man liked to have fun. 😁 The last time I saw him in person was in 2004. My wife and I went into a GNC shop, and he worked the counter that evening. We got what we needed and caught up a bit. He was working and doing some things in school and had plans from what I remembered. It was just nice to see him again, as it had been a while. I just didn't realize this would be the last time I would see him alive. So, when I heard about his unexpected death in May 2021, that was a real eye-opener. As I read about his life since the last time I saw him, I was happy for him. He fulfilled those plans. I was happy about how he had lived. He cherished the moments that followed that day in 2004, and that's a monumental achievement for anyone in life. Proud of you, Trevor.

Jason's, Nikki's, and Trevor's deaths made me reflect on all those lost from my Class of '95 along the way:

Allison Kay

Gene Haskins

Jason Hill

Scott West

Chadwick Boseman

These are just the ones I knew about and confirmed. There are most likely more, unfortunately. Reflecting back on all of these people I knew from school, there was one thing they all had in common. 

They lived.

Some had tragic ends, some had illnesses, but all of them had lived up to the point of their deaths.

I once remembered Scott playing Taps for Coach Wayne Jones' birthday in the lunchroom. He was an excellent musician.

I remembered how physically fit Jason was. The man worked out hard and would have put any cross-fitter today under the bus. I even remember seeing him one last time at the gym a couple of months before his accident. 

Who doesn't know Chad? But I still remember his Mr. T. L. performance that brought a hush to the crowd as he won that title, the first of so much more to come in his esteemed acting career. Wakanda Forever.

Gene, or NormaGene as we liked to do to him in jest sometimes. I remember when he got his Toyota truck and spent an entire party one night jumping over dirt jumps in someone's yard over and over and over and over, like seriously, I didn't think he was going to stop. He loved that truck!

I'll never forget Allison. My grade school crush, so of course, I wouldn't forget her. In 5th grade, her little brother PK asked me, "Do you like my sister?" I was so embarrassed because I thought, Is it that obvious? Later at her funeral, as I shook PK's hand in front of her casket, he took a little longer to let go. I've often wondered what he was thinking at that moment.

Allison's death was one of the hardest for all of us. We were so young and barely a year out of high school when it took place. Following the accident that had occurred, I wrote a final email to her, telling her thank you. I let her know that I always appreciated how she took up for me, even sometimes when others didn't. That's what I liked about her most. Unbeknownst to me, those emails at Clemson found their way back to Mrs. Kay. That led to months of conversations with her about life, as Mrs. Kay loved what I had to say about Allison, believing it epitomized who her daughter was. However, I had never expected anyone to read it, so I was a bit embarrassed. But I loved those talks. The crux of the discussion was that we all make choices in life, and we have to live with them, good or bad. She told me the story about Allison and the steeple. There were so many wonderful things that it honestly prompted me to think, This story of Allison would make a great movie. A cautionary tale about the choices we all make in life. But mostly a final story about a wonderful person who was lost tragically but served to unite a community in many ways. I even thought of a soundtrack for the story, everything from Gimme Some Lovin to Hootie and Blowfish, Dave Matthews, Eye of the Tiger, and so much more. Maybe I'll get around to that story One Sweet Day. 

So much loss and yet so much left to gain. 

After hearing about Trevor's passing, I made a choice then. I would keep living, whatever it takes, no matter what, for as long as possible.

The eye-opener I received was that I had a lot of life left to live. Many things occurred in the years leading up to 2021, making me aware there was much left to do. This A1c was just a phase in my life that can only improve. So, I would keep living and doing all I could to better myself, my family, friends, colleagues, and everything. 

June through August was more about living life to the fullest and doing your best, no matter what. I worked in clinical groups, dieted like I had been incorporating things back in, and exercised the best I had in many years. Life was perfect. I was living and not allowing the predator to stalk me. After all, we're only mortal.

"Speak for yourself, sir. I plan to live forever."-Commander William T. Riker, Star Trek: Generations.

The Bible has something to say about living forever too. 😀

Look for the next segment, 10: The August 2021 Results. Enjoy this picture of my Class of 1995 in the meantime. I'm in the top right corner, next to Will Dorsey.

10: What Dreams May Come Part 1

Have you ever had a dream that seemed so real you questioned whether it was a dream?

In the span of two years, I had four dreams that felt more real than my waking life. These dreams were unique because, for years before that, I couldn't remember any dreams much. Sure, every so often, I had an interesting dream that I could recall, but it was fleeting. Eventually, most of the details of your run-of-the-mill dreams go away. I still have those types of dreams every so often today. 

But these four dreams, from May 15, 2019, through March 3, 2021... were vivid dreams.

Vivid dreams stay with you forever. You remember every detail as if it happened yesterday or an hour ago. These types of dreams skirt the boundary between real and unreal. There is certainly fantasy to them, but the realism of the dream feels like it actually happened right then.

It feels like a perfect simulation of reality.

I love working in simulation in nursing education. Simulation allows you to do things that are real in the care of patients without all the risk of hurting someone. You can make a mistake and simply reset it. It's a lot like a video game, only more serious. However, I haven't met many people that didn't take video games seriously because the goal is to win. So, your ultimate goal in simulation is to succeed as a participant. But as the facilitator of the simulation, or the person creating or running it, you try to make it as realistic as possible. A facilitator does whatever it takes to make a simulation seem real so that the participant in the experience feels like they are really there within it. So the participant can't discern real from unreal. As a nurse educator, the goal is for the participant or student to learn from the experience.

These vivid dreams taught me a lesson because the facilitator of them made them perfect. 

I have to believe the dreams were from God. It's the only thing that makes sense, looking back on each one. Because they weren't dreams at all. They were warnings. 

I also have to warn you or issue a disclaimer. With each dream, things become more intense. The dreams become progressively darker each time. The dreams culminate in a final moment that will be revealed in the Dream Analysis after the conclusion of the next four posts, including this one. I was terrified by each one. 

The next question on your mind might be, why would God terrify me with a dream? Well, have you ever read the Book of Revelation? "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."--Revelation 3:22.  Revelation uses fear quite a bit to grab the reader's attention. Revelation is, in fact, a horror story that ends well. It's been said that Jesus Christ spoke more of Hell than He did Heaven in his teachings. He sometimes used fear to get people to listen. When God speaks, you listen in whatever form that may arise. That's how I can remember the dates and times when these dreams occurred.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dream One: "A Knock at the Door" (May 15, 2019, 5:45 AM)

I was at my parent's house on Bellview Road, the inside of the house was so clear, and the attic door was open. I was putting up Christmas decorations and had the attic light on above and light coming from the bathroom and down the hallway.

A few seconds later, I could hear my mother's clock chime in the den, her newly purchased Swarovski Clock that chimes different tunes and melodies. We had gotten it for her the past Christmas, so it was still new and fresh. Then a familiar voice started speaking to me.

My grandmother Niney was walking up with a box of Christmas items for me to carry into the attic for her. She simply asked me to carry that box up the steps for her. I, of course, told her I would.

After placing that box in the attic, I returned, and Niney asked me if I could take something out to the carport quickly. I said yes and carried the item out to the carport for her, going through my parent's back door. One of the cars my parents drive was missing. That explained why Niney and I were the only ones in the house then. Everyone else was gone somewhere.

It was dark outside, and street lights were on with cars passing by on the road. I put the box down and stood back up. When I did, a vehicle was pulling up in the driveway. I looked out in the direction of the car pulling up, and all I could make out were the headlights. From my vantage point, the headlights reminded me of an older model Jeep Cherokee with squared-off duel headlights. 

Looking out at the car started to unnerve me, however. I was now on edge, fearing who might be in the Jeep. Suddenly I heard a voice holler out, "Hey!"

Before that utterance, I had already started moving toward the back door. Once the person yelled that at me, I bolted for the back door and slammed the screen door shut, locking it. The carport light was on, so I knew I had to close the wooden door, too, before someone walked up and saw me. I slammed that door shut, too, and put the chain and deadbolt on. My parent's back door has a set of blinds on them, so I could see the light coming in through the blinds. I looked to my right and thought I saw a figure pass in front of the side window looking into the carport. This spooked me, and I ran to another part of the house.

I went into my parent's hallway and turned toward the left to the front bedroom. This had been my bedroom years earlier when I lived at home. The blinds were shut in the bedroom, but the lamp illuminated the blinds. I took my fingers, moved the blinds slightly, and peered out the window to see what I could see.

I saw outside the headlights of a car shining across the front lawn. Through the lights, I could see the reflection of multiple people's legs walking in a side-by-side line toward my bedroom window across the lawn. I was terrified. What are they doing? Why are they coming here? What do they want?

Because of my fear, I went back into the hallway and stood in the center where the back door going to the carport could be seen. That's when I heard it.

Knock, knock.

Someone was knocking on the back door, and I turned my head to see. The blinds were drawn, but from the light shining down through the carport, I could see the silhouette of a person standing outside the door, lowering their arm from knocking and waiting for someone to answer. Niney was no longer in the house with me. I was completely alone, standing in the hallway staring at the back door.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few things about the setting:

1. The clock was significant as I had given it to my parents for Christmas in 2018. This made it clear the dream was happening in the current day.

2. Niney, my grandmother, passed away on October 16, 1998. She was the one assisting me in putting up Christmas decorations. This is highly significant because not only was she alive and well, she was walking and had lost both legs due to complications from diabetes and a stroke before her death.

3. I have no idea, to this day, who the people were in the Jeep, nor who the person was at the back door knocking to come in.

4. May 15, 2019, was my grandmother Niney's 101st birthday. At the time, I thought the dream was about her and my missing her. That made sense in 2019, especially with the dream happening on her birthday. I remember doing a post the next day saying I believed I was trying to keep the people from coming to get my Niney. Somehow I believed they were coming to take her away, perhaps for good. I thought this was my wishing she was still alive and that I missed her greatly. 

But the interaction with Niney had nothing to do with her. It had everything to do with me.

Tune in next week for 10: What Dreams May Come Part 2--Something is Here...

The letter you are about to read was written after the passing of my grandmother, Grace Joanne Culpepper Thrift.  It was intended as a response to the letter she had written me 35 years earlier expressing her joy and fears at becoming a grandparent for the first time.  I hope you will enjoy it.  She was an incredible person, beloved friend, dedicated mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, and joy to anyone she ever encountered.

Forever is yours, Maw Maw
By Jason R. Thrift

Dear Maw Maw,

It’s hard to imagine this day has come.  A day when one of this world’s brightest and most loving angels departs, but it has finally happened.  Just like a thief in the night, you were taken from us Maw Maw.  As I see you lying there now, I still can’t believe it, and you weren’t even allowed to say good-bye.  But maybe that is for the best, because you were never one to utter those words to begin with.

When I was two weeks old you once wrote me a letter.  You were telling me about the world I was coming into.  You didn’t scribe this letter with misgivings about overly joyful things, but told the truth.  Because, as you know, life is hard.  That letter was not meant to express fear, either.  It was about the choices that we make in our day-to-day lives.  The choices that set us on a path of which the end is uncertain.  It was about having faith, having hope, and showing love.

In the almost thirty-five years since that time, your words in that letter have echoed from your generation to mine.  We’ve gotten only a taste of some of the trials and tribulations you endured, while at the same time we have become more liberal than ever before.  Now where that will lead us, I do not know.  But what I do know is that through the teachings you gave me throughout my life, if I can grow and build on them, pass them along to my children, and show the next generations to come the same teachings you did, then everything will be just fine.

No matter how hard life gets, how scared we become, how angry you let things make you, or how hopeless situations may seem, we can never fail as long as we have love.  You taught me that, time and time again.  The way you taught me was also what mattered.  You allowed me to take your advice and decide on my own how important it was to me.  I can’t thank you enough for that and would never be able to thank you enough.

My one true regret now is that Abby and Charlie came along when they did, because they never got to know you the way I did.  But, they did get that love from you, every chance you got.  In the years to come they will listen to our stories, watch our videos, and delight in knowing that they had a grandmother so faithful and strong in her commitments to everyone and everything that it is unimaginable to believe she was never one of God’s archangels to begin with.

Everything you ever did, are doing, and will ever do in what is to come always involves love.  Now, you’re going to a place that love abides and is everlasting.  The truth is though; it has always been in you from day one.  You told me once that one day I would remember what it was like to be in heaven, when I asked you why I couldn’t remember it as a child.  You have helped me see it once again.  I take great peace in knowing that forever means you will always be there, waiting patiently for all of us to join you again.

So we won’t say good-bye, because that would be wrong.  Instead, I’ll see you later, Maw Maw and I love you with all my heart!

Your number one,

Jason

Abby meet world!

Good Evening my little girl!

This is Daddy, the one that keeps nuzzling you daily when you're trying to sleep. Has it really been only 2 weeks since the moment you were born? We spent 39 weeks of our lives waiting on you to become a part of it, and in only seconds it seems here you are and you've already changed since those first moments.

You're a blessing to us, Abby Whab. As I sit here watching Niney and Papa, your grandparents, holding you while you sleep, it reminds me of a time I cannot remember. An earlier, simpler time when your Niney was holding me the same way she is holding you now. Of course, I was too young to remember this and can only rely on those who were grown up then to tell me of those times. We will do the very same thing for you one day.

You're more than just a blessing, Abby, you're a miracle. According to a doctor that my mom had to receive treatments from a few short years after I was born, you should not even exist. The reason being, he said I should not have existed either. My mother, your grandmother, had a hormone imbalance that should have prevented her from ever having a child of her own. The condition was one that had been present since before I was born. The doctor was truly amazed when Niney told him that I was her 3 year-old son, and that she had had me from conception until that day. To this he replied the following words, "I'm a christian Mrs. Thrift and I believe that everyone and everything on this Earth was put here for a reason. We all have a purpose, but every now and then someone is sent here for a special reason. Now I may never live to see what that purpose may be, but I believe your son was put here for a special reason because he never should have been."

Strong words, especially from a reknowned endocrinologist as he was at that time. Just as that doctor said that day, Abby, he did not live to see what special reason I was sent here for. I myself am not sure what that reason may be either, but I've still got a lot of time left to figure it out, hopefully. But, perhaps that reason is you, Abby? If I never should have been, obviously you should have never been as well. So that begs the question, what reason are you here for now?

Only time will tell what you become as you age, dear little Abby. For now, your special purpose in life is the shear happiness you bring to both your mother and I. Through 7 years of marriage, we wondered when you might arrive? Sometimes we got distraught, worried that maybe God had passed us by somehow when it came to being a parent. But as everyone often told your mother and I when we hoped and prayed for someone we loved to come along, for someone we wanted to marry to come along, it's all in God's timing.

I myself, since the time I first married Leslie, believed we would have a little girl first. When your mother told me she was pregnant, I knew you were a girl, as did Niney. What does that mean, Abby? Why did we already know? How did we already know? Niney even claimed that you, you little Abby before you were born, came to her in a dream and told her the exact date you would be born, February 27, 2010. Can you tell us the winning lottery numbers now, little Abby?

That was a little joke, my precious girl. The fact remains, we knew you were coming before you did. Obviously, God has a VERY special reason for you to be here too. What that reason may be, well, only God knows.

Right now Mommy is giving you the nourishment you need to grow up big and strong in the years to come. I've already looked ahead and I've seen a beautiful, dark-haired woman with spectacular blue eyes looking back at me. You'll be tall, with a beautiful complexion that makes you the envy of many. You'll have a personality that is charismatic and true, and people will want to know you, just for you. You'll be hopelessly romantic, as any Pisces are, and you'll care more for others than even yourself. One day I hope to meet this fine young woman, but for now I'll enjoy the captivating moments of cradling you in my arms and watching your little dimples form as you smile everytime I gently rub the side of your face.

When I was two weeks old, Abby, your great grandmother, Maw Maw, wrote me a letter telling me about all that was to come in the world I was about to awaken to. She was a journalist for the local newspaper in our hometown and is still a gifted writer today. I want to share that letter with you now so her words can touch you the same way they have touched me. From one generation to the next, I give you these words as a gift, a blessing upon your generation. It is a chance for you to overcome what we have already learned the world to be. Some of it is scary, but necessary. Some of it is profound, and true. But all of it comes from the heart of Maw Maw and the love she had for me that she now passes on to you:

The following letter is written by staff writer Joanne Thrift, and is published here in the hope that it will be of interest to you. It is an open letter to her newly born grandson. He is the first son of Joanne's first son. Rick Thrift, one of our circulation department managers here at the Daily Mail. We publish this and similar staff produced items and because we would like you to get to know something about the people who write and edit your newspaper each day.

Dear Jason,

You are only two weeks old and it will be some time before you will be capable of reading this letter. But it seems appropriate to write it while the feeling is strong and the words come easily. Now you cannot understand and later when you can it will be harder to say.

There you are, sleeping as usual, with your eyes shut tight and occasionally what seems to be a smile flickering across your perfect little face, as you perhaps dream innocently or think your baby thoughts. As our first grandchild, you occupy a unique place in our lives. It seems such a short while ago that your father was our first baby. Such a short time that the memories are still vivid, unfaded... There were the times of pure joy and the nights of sleeplessness, the learning with the first baby. Now your father and mother will walk the same path, trace the same steps, but in their own way.

Has it actually been 18 years since the day I left your father at school for the first time, all alone. I can see him now, with his lower lip quivering as he lined up with the other first graders to march into Kennedy Street Elementary School. He looked around at me and his eyes were unhappy. But he didn't cry and he went in leaving me standing there all alone. He didn't cry but I did.

Now I look at you and I have this overwhelming feeling of continuity. And that's what being a grandparent for the first time means when you get right down to it. You think you will feel older but instead there is a new relationship with the young, a beginning over again. So this is a letter to the new generation, with all the love and affection one can give such a beautiful little being. As with each new generation, you will be facing drastic and unprecedented changes in old values and accepted standards of behavior. The new morality has created problems very different from those of only a decade ago. It's true you have a better start than some, with parents who are strong Christians and who intend to rear you in the church. But never before have young people been so exposed to drugs and the challenges to traditional morals being purveyed so bouteously by reading matter, movies and in some instances, companions. And there is the speed with which events move today to affect lives, ideals and behavior. Nevertheless, there are forces which always have been crucial for human happiness and the survival of a society and will be crucial as long as human nature remains what it is.

Jason, if you opt for honesty, fairness and consideration for others; if you are willing to make sacrifices to build a better society for yourself and for your children; if you will work vigorously to place in public office men and women of ability, honesty and devotion to the common good, there can be no doubt about the outcome. But what a load to put upon those tiny shoulders. Mass communication has made people aware of instances of crime and immorality to a degree that was not possible before.

Mine was the generation that grew up in the shadow of World War II. The things that troubled us most in high school were paper shortages, which meant we could not publish a high school annual, and gas shortages, which meant we could not take a senior trip. During war times, it was thought too frivolous to have a formal junior-senior, so we couldn't dress up for the occasion. Still we were forced to become adults at 17, because our males went into service at 18. They were considered manly enough to fight and die for the country then, but not old enough to vote for or against the people who said so. The great conflict not only caused it's disruptions of our populace. A river of money began to pour out to defense industries and this country was on its way to becoming the wealthiest the world had ever known.

The barriers that had imposed restraints on speech and conduct began to fall, one by one. People became accustomed to seeing four-letter words in novels and plays during the late '40s, and by the early '50s, an unfrocked Harvard professor had started a new religion based on hallucinogenic drugs. It began to be fashionable to take at least one trip on LSD and books and movies became bolder. Then in the middle '60s, a Supreme Court decision exempted from the definition of pornography any work having social or literary value.

As a child of the '70s, Jason, all of this will be just so much ancient history to you. You will live through your own time, make your own adjustments, become your own person. And your grandparents, in the flush of excitement over their first grandson, hope to be of some importance in your life. In preparation, we are thinking over again some of the standards we tried to attain in bringing up your dad, your aunt, your uncle-no overprotectiveness, an attempt at understanding, not being so closed-minded as to stereotype all youth in the image of the worst element, a try at communication and most of all, loving enough.

It's true that the youth cult developed in the '60s by advertisers who waked up to a field of potential new customers has created an age in which many of the young hold up to scorn persons over 30 and their works and ideas. And this, in turn, does not instill in persons over 40 any great amount of confidence in their ability to guide the young. But it doesn't stop us from trying.

So Jason, dream your baby dreams and enjoy your innocence. The world is out there. Just always remember, your grandparents, love you very much.

Love,

Maw Maw

I think that says it all, Abby. Although some things have slightly changed today, the same problems remain. The world is a complex place and it takes equally complex people to face the challenges that our future holds. Yours is the generation that may have to find a better way of doing things, Abby. But isn't this always true of every generation?

So I leave you with these words: Do not worry, Abby. Always be true to one person in life, and that is yourself. Respect others, especially those no one sees fit to respect. Love everyone, not just those who love you back. Be slow to speak, and quick to think. Be willing to make sacrifices and do not judge others. Most importantly, never lose hope even when it seems to have slipped away at times. That's the beauty of hope, you only lose it when you give it away.

I love you Abby, Mommy loves you, your grandparents love you and your great grandparents love you. We cherish every moment we get to spend with you because according to some, you never should have been. Isn't it wonderful to know, you've already beaten the odds!

Love,

Daddy