The day Little Hope was born was September 8, 2007 in Elkton, Maryland @ approx 10:30 pm. It was 1 ½ hours before my 39th birthday.
My first grandchild was born his name is Jaxen. Hope had always been in my life but that day it was the first day I recognized a sign of Hope… It was earlier in the year that my oldest daughter texted me and let me know I was going to have a grandchild. I instantly felt he would be a bridge to a relationship with his mom that had not gone very well…
So the text message was the Hope I was thankful for this chance again to try and repair this mother-daughter relationship.

I was in the middle of a battle with depression, failing marriage, my other children were in the midst of the teenage years and I was in a place of hopelessness and here comes this new life, new chance at building a relationship with my oldest daughter that was beyond us. We spend a great time that next 7 months getting ready for Jaxen’s arrival.

She called me on the 7th and said that the doctor said come on… So I purchased a one way ticket to Delaware and the next day I arrived.
We shopped all day and that night we tried some things I read on the Internet to get the ball rolling. One of them worked or by coincidence it worked, her water broke. Off we went mom, dad and Ya Ya. I was on one side and dad on the other trying to get him here as fast as we could we pushed as hard as his mom did but he ended up coming via c-section. Secretly I wanted him to wait till my birthday.
He needed his own day 09-08-07 his special day.

Ya Ya would spend the whole next day and night with him and mom at the hospital. Ya Ya would be what he would call me.
We decided I would be Ya Ya after trying to find something different and my daughter said how about a name from the language of one of your mission trips and so we looked at two of the languages Swahli from the area in Africa that I had visited and it was “bi bi or Nyanja” and my last name was Beebe so we decided no to that one. The other was Hindu from India the last mission trip I went on but I knew that would not work- Hindu for for grandmother was “dadi” then add Ma and you have what sounds like daddyma and no to that!
We decided with my personality the Ya Ya grandmother in Greek. Ya Ya fit me perfect !!!

So 7 years ago today my little Jaxen was born and although I don’t see him much and the way the twists and turns of life and relationships often go the distance is more than just the 1400 miles between us…
I will always be connected in my heart to him and through my prayers because he was my 39th birthday present just as I was my very own grandmother’s birthday present that’s where my name Doris comes from.

Sometimes life is difficult and things don’t always turn out the way you wished and hoped but on days like today I remember that no matter what happens in life that a little part of me still lives on in him. I am proud of the little boy that he is and there’s no doubt that his parents will do a great job in raising him into a fine man.
I wished I could see his little face and have him ask me a million questions because our last visit was last year and boy he can talk and he can also drive, because I was driving him and his lil sister Penny to McDonald’s and he was saying “Ya Ya” that’s not how you get there and my mom does not drive home this way and I said well Jaxen you’re the first 5 year old to have his drivers license that I know. Miss that little guy!

Happy Birthday to Jaxen Christopher who is 7 years old today. I saw him on the day he was born and wish I could see him today but no matter the distance or time between us he’s in my heart❤️and my prayers.

Happy Birthday my little Hope💙
Love you,

Ya Ya