My dear Friends.

I suppose I could call this 'A Tale of Two Grandsons'. Some of you will have met Alex, now age 8'/2. My son and family have visited me regularly and joined us on several occasions on Sunday mornings at St Peter's. Only a few will have seen William (my daughter's second child) now age 4 months, mainly because he has spent most of his life in hospital.

On Monday of last week (13th February) we visited my son and his family. Alex, like so many children, has a very full life and I am amazed he has time to go to school! The latest addition to his already full diary is swimming and he has taken to it in a big way, joining the Wellingborough Swimming Club and competing in a couple of races. My son reckons Alex could do well if he trained in a sensible and dedicated way. It is something he obviously has not inherited from me as I am a most reluctant swimmer!

For 40 mins or so we watched him swim up and down the pool alternating between four different strokes of which the breaststroke is proving his favourite. While Alex was enjoying himself, my other grandson was coming out of major heart surgery. William was born with several holes in the heart and after an operation when he was a few days old he seemed to settle down. However, after visiting me at the end of November things went downhill and he developed a tendency to stop breathing - not a good idea and we were so grateful by that stage he was in hospital and they were able to quickly get him going again. Reluctantly it was decided to do the major operation on him much earlier than they had hoped and as we watched Alex swimming, so the news came that Wililam had come through the operation. When we saw him on the Saturday he was still in intensive care but doing quite well.

So, 'A Tale of Two Grandsons' and what a difference and yet both very much loved and both bringing out of us so many different emotions and feelings (as indeed do my two granddaughters). It has been a difficult few months for my daughter and her husband and they have a long way to go but I am so grateful to all who have been praying for William and if you can continue that would be marvellous.

However, I not only pray for William with his very obvious needs but also for Alex, Emily and Abigail. There are so many good things for them to enjoy and get involved in as they grow up (including swimming) but there are also many forces, influences and temptations to lead them the wrong way, to get involved with the wrong crowd, to dabble with the harmful substance.

Our prayers, our own positive example for God and for good must surely count for something, but in the end we have to let them go and each young person and adult makes his/her own choices and decisions, and we have to be there for them whenever they need us.

I have been very blessed with my children and grandchildren - it is a great privilege and responsibility to have them and even when they grow up and move away you still feel and care for them and are concerned as to what they are up to - well that is what my Mum and Dad say about me!

God bless you
Yours sincerely

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