Hopeless and confused, describes how I was feeling in 2015 after hearing from several doctors that I would need surgery.  So, waiting to see the neurosurgeon for my herniated discs, I didn’t have any hope for recovery apart from surgery. As I reclined on the sofa, also recovering from a bout of vertigo, our youngest daughter and her husband came by to give me a belated Mother’s Day gift. I will never forget how beautiful she looked that day. As she walked around the sofa and handed me a small piece of paper, I understood why she was beaming, and even seemed to be glowing. My gift was a sonogram printout of my “in utero” grandchild! Unfortunately, shock overshadowed any elation I might have felt.

My mind raced: “how would I be any help? How involved could I be as a grandmother? I could hardly walk to the bathroom on…