Louis and Me

I spent the day with Louis ( pronounced "Louie"), today and his Mum. Louis arrived on June 1st this year. He is the first beautiful son of my eldest (beautiful) son (who'll celebrate his 27th bithday on Christmas eve this year) and his equally beautiful partner. I'm very excited at this time as soon we will be spending two days a week together, once his Mum returns to work in a couple of weeks. I've not looked after such a young baby for a long, long time. My world is about to change and big responsiblities are heading this way - bottles, nappies, baby foods, lullabies, nursery rhymes, songs, feeding and nap times, dancing and endless cuddles and conversations are all on the horizon. I'm a lucky man.
And today, in these early days of my "apprenticeship" with him, the glorious sunshine beckoned us to the beach. Beaches are always magnetic places at this time of year. Clouds filled the sky when we arrived and the sea, a canvas of dramatic grey. The strong winds transformed the flapping shop signs into a seaside orchestra. In his pushchair and wrapped in a soft teddy blanket, Louis accompanied me to the beach. We stopped at the seafront and felt the cold air on our faces. I was sharing some thoughts with him, that sometimes there are things in life which are so much greater and more powerful than ourselves, like the vast ocean in front of us and the unending sky above. I was looking at him and trying to understand that almost 27 years ago I became a father. And here in front of me was my son's son. Has it registered that I'm now a Granddad? Where did the last 27 years go? When our eyes met, he just kept smiling and laughing ---- reminding me not to miss the specialness of the moment of this being together.