Isn’t life grand?
On December 16, 2018, at 2:55 am Hawaii Standard Time, my wife Ra El and I became grandparents for the first time.
Our daughter Sarah and son-in-law Adam, are now parents to their newborn son Bodhi Kai Snyder. He came into the world at 7 lbs., 15 oz and 20.5 inches of joy, love, and possibilities.
My mom Bea is now a great-grandmother – for the fifth time. She is a pro, and the “B” for Bodhi was to honor her.
Blessings for Bodhi
Bodhi is a Sanskrit word that means the awakening of a Buddha. The root word of Buddha is BUDH means to awaken or awakening. By awakening, it doesn’t mean awakened from sleep, but a spiritual awakening.
Our daughter’s Sarah and Fanny have been blessed to be surrounded by my wife Ra El’s spiritual journey during their lives. They absorbed and observed an abundance of deep and powerful lessons about the divine and the infinite wisdom of the soul. 
Sarah picked the name Bodhi because when she traveled to Thailand for yoga and spiritual retreat, she saw a beautiful painting of the Bodhi tree. The Bodhi tree is where the Buddha sat to gain enlightenment or awakening. The image came up several times over the last two years as if it was following Sarah around. It was as if the name Bodhi found Sarah.
Sarah’s spiritual journey resonated with the beautiful name Bodhi. His middle name Kai is Hawaiian for sea or ocean, perfect for a child born in Hawaii. We love Bodhi Kai and his glorious name.
Bodhi’s name Honors my Mom Bea.
My Mom was always called Beatty by my beloved Aunt Annette, her sister.
Beatty and Bodhi sound so much alike it is a beautiful way of honoring and celebrating this connection separated by 91 years and four generations.
Beatty was born in 1927 and Bodhi in 2018. Spanning almost a century, they are and will forever be connected.
When Sarah told us she was thinking about calling her son Bodhi, all I heard was my Aunt’s voice saying the name Beatty. We loved the name in so many ways, and we love this magical child.
The Gift of Becoming A Grandfather
Growing up, I was fortunate to have all four of my grandparents in my life. Each gave me a piece of themselves. They paid attention to me, cared about me and showered me with kindness in their special way.
My father, Jack, always reminded me how lucky I was to have four grandparents in my life, and that if I listened carefully, I could learn something different from each of them. They all had gifts to share if I was awake enough to receive those gifts.
My maternal grandfather George, inspired me to be creative and to be persistent. He pushed me to 
think without limits and boundaries. He reminded me that he came to this country by himself at age ten on a boat from Russia. In this way he taught me about fearlessness. He started several businesses including a photography studio that still exists today – one hundred years later. George believed he could do anything including becoming a philanthropist, even though he didn’t have two nickels to rub together. George loved me with every ounce of his passionately creative being and originality.
My maternal grandmother, Fannie, helped me appreciate the simple things in life. She never seemed to want things; she wanted to give gifts to others. I remember her lavender candy jar on the table in her living room. It was slightly cracked, and the flowered handle reattached with Elmer’s glue, but it always had a butterscotch treat in it that she would put in my pocket when my mother wasn’t looking. She laughed at my grandfather’s bad jokes about Mike Sass from Baltimore and was satisfied with living in the moments of each day. She started dinner way too early in the afternoon. Fannie loved me by being kind and happy with the simple things in life.
My paternal grandfather, Joe, was a serious man and a rich contrast to my other grandfather. Joe was more systematic, structured and disciplined as a consummate business professional. I remember his desk at the office in his house, with everything in its proper place and no sign of chaos anywhere. He loved to ask me questions and listened with great care and attention, as I would describe a school project or my summer camp accomplishments. Joe was often in poor health but had a sharp intellect that countered some of his frailties. Joe loved me by teaching me the importance of being organized and prepared for whatever life brings my way.
My paternal grandmother Gertie was something different. She was always throwing parties for the 
family and celebrating someone’s birthday or anniversary. In stark contrast to Grandma Fannie, I remember her enjoying the finer things in life. She had jewelry and fancy mink coats. Gert had a diamond ring with three large stones that were so extravagant that my cousin Mark, my brother Mitch and I all received one of those diamonds to give to our brides when we got engaged.
She enjoyed celebrating life and showing off those things to others, but never in an off-putting way. My strongest memory of Gertie was taking a $20 bill and tucking it into my hand every time we were together. It was as if she wanted me to enjoy life and have a little fun. Gertie taught me to remember to celebrate the day and take time to enjoy life.
Teaching Moments
I want to teach our little Bodhi the importance of just being and living in the moment.
I have grand ideas of the life lessons I can give to Bodhi as he begins his journey.
Can I inspire him to live his life to find his creative spirit with unlimited possibilities? Will I be able to imbue in him the power of living a loving, nonjudgmental life, where giving and being present is the path to a life lived in resonance with love? Can I share with him the gifts my grandparents and parents gave to me?
Somehow I think I’m going to learn a lot more from our little Bodhi then I can ever teach him.
Welcome to the world, my grandson, Bodhi Kai. I can’t wait to immerse you in my love and bathe you in the light of happiness.
Let’s begin our awakening.
Jeffrey Slater | The Marketing Sage |919 720 0995 | jeffreylynnslater@gmail.com
