With Death Comes New Life

Recently, my grandmother passed away and while I am saddened by her death, my family finds comfort in the fact that she is now in a better place, especially given her dementia towards the end. In addition, the following letter that I wrote for my family sums up my thoughts perfectly, including the announcement at the bottom. Enjoy!

I wanted to propose a toast of sorts, although with the events of the last month, the tones and themes have changed for me, which is why I was moved to write it down. I am forced to eulogize my relationship with my grandmother, whose passing was an event for which I was ill-prepared. How fitting, then, that Lexi and I have been convicted about family this Lenten Season. Lexi and I face the fact of our distance from the rest of our family each day, a fact that is made all the more poignant after the events of the last week. My grandmother loved family and she loved food, especially when she was able to share in both at the same time. She was a good cook and was amazing at spoiling her grandchildren, even if it was as predictable as bagel chips, jolly ranchers, and donut holes. She loved Chicago-style pizza and was born and raised in that great city. She lived through the first depression and unfortunately, got to see the second one in action. But I should count myself blessed since my grandmother was able to see many of the most important moments in my life. She got to see me play baseball as a kid. We were able to watch late-night movies together and fold bulletins every Sunday morning. She saw me graduate and she made it to many a family vacation. She got to see me grow into the man that I am sure she hoped I'd become, mainly because I was more like the best of her husband every day. And finally, she saw me married to my lovely wife, a woman that she readily approved of. So, as with the Lenten and Easter Seasons, with death comes new life, a fact under which all Christians unite during this time of year. And although my grandmother would not have remembered the next important moments in my life, it would have been nice to have her here for one more, because by October, my grandmother would have been able to see me become a father.

So there you have it! Lexi and I are pregnant and looking forward to our next adventure, which will begin October of this year. Since it is officially announced, all those people that knew before this post can pontificate on social networks and tell others if they'd like.

Thanks for keeping the secret and we look forward to sharing in our excitement moving forward!