Sean Anderson Davis Arrived

Across the Fence #396

The Waiting is over. Grandpa Sherpe can now report that Sean Anderson Davis, son of Tim and Amy (Sherpe) Davis, made his grand entrance onto Planet Earth at 3:47 pm on Friday, June 8, 2012. He weighed in at 9 pounds and 5 ounces, and measured 21.5 inches. He’s sporting a head of black hair and has dark blue eyes that the doctor is betting will turn brown before too long. Of course, we think he’s the cutest baby you’ve ever laid eyes on.

I’m happy to report that mother and son are doing fine. The baby’s father also survived the delivery. Grandma and Grandpa Sherpe did their part by dog-sitting with Sweeney and waiting for the phone to ring.

As I held our new grandson at the hospital on Saturday, it was hard to believe that this was our daughter’s child. It seems like only yesterday when I was in the delivery room as she was born and got to carry her to the nursery. Time sure flies. What kind of world and what changes will Sean see in another 38 years? What will he be like and what will he be doing?

I think back to when I was born, 68 years ago. We were in the midst of World War II. Allied troops would hit the beaches of Normandy when I was a month old. There were no televisions, computers, cell phones, air conditioning, indoor plumbing, or fast food restaurants, other than root beer stands, in our area. Just think of the many life-changing developments, since I was born. With technology accelerating all the time, what changes will Sean experience?

During my time, we have escaped the gravity of earth and flown in space. Men have left Planet Earth and traveled to the moon, where they landed and walked on the surface. Those things were only science fiction when I was born. When cousin Sandy and I were young we thought we were looking into Heaven when we saw a hole in the clouds. To us, and most people on Planet Earth, the world beyond the clouds was a mystery. Now the Hubble telescope has given us glimpses into a universe so vast, we find it hard to comprehend its size. During Sean’s life, he’ll probably see men travel on a one-way colonizing trip to Mars. Plans for that adventure are already in the works by a Dutch company who hopes to have 20 astronauts living on Mars by 2033. What other celestial discoveries will he see? It will be a rapidly changing world and universe. It will be an exciting time to be alive if you aren’t afraid of change.

As I mentioned, I came into this world during World War II. Since that time we’ve been involved in almost constant military conflicts of all sizes. Think of the money, resources, and time that have been wasted on trying to kill each other. Think of all the lost lives and potential. What if the world could learn to channel all that energy and all those resources into helping each other live better lives? That’s the type of world I would wish for our grandson to see one day. But, being a realist, I would place my bets on us colonizing Mars within his lifetime before we see mankind living peacefully together.

Communication will be an interesting subject in the coming years. We’re now in a rapidly changing telecommunications world. I grew up with a hand crank phone attached to the wall and party lines. Today I walk around with an iPhone in my pocket. I can send and receive phone calls, send and receive e-mails and text messages, surf the world-wide web, find where I am with GPS, read newspapers, books, and magazines, and hope I remember my passwords so I can access all that stuff. What device will Sean be using in 20 years? Will everyone have a chip implanted in their skin that enables them to do all these things and much more? Will people be watching TV shows and movies on a flexible screen in the sleeve of their shirt as they drive down the highway in a hands-free, GPS navigated vehicle? Is the day approaching where science will discover how to “Beam me up Scotty?” Then we can eliminate gas-powered vehicles and be transported instantly to our destination. Far-fetched? Yes, but so were computers, space travel, indoor plumbing, and talking over wires not that many years ago.

It’s an exciting world that awaits Sean. It’s filled with challenges, wonders, and opportunities. There will be many roads to explore and many doors to open to see what’s inside. My wish for him is that he’ll be filled with curiosity to explore those roads and open those doors; that he will think for himself and not blindly follow others. I like what my friend and author Jerry Apps recently wrote: “Thinking for yourself is hard work. It’s so much easier to grab onto someone else’s thinking—and then wonder why you don’t feel right.”

When I looked at Sean as I held him at the hospital, I realized again, what a miracle life is. There are so many forces in the universe that need to align, in order for a new life to form and develop. He’s now entered this world and his journey begins. Have a great trip.

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