Kilmeny Liana Jordyn

The guy in the tire shop in Great Falls told me that he was a grandfather already. He was only 42, but had gained his present status through having married a woman who had her first child at fourteen – and that "child" now had children. So I suppose if you want to be really technical, he was a step-grandfather, but who cares - as long as the kids get presents.

Then when I got home I heard about Van Morrison who is a father once more, but he's 64. He, of the "brown-eyed girl" fame is not married to the mother, but is in a so-called committed relationship, his third or fourth committed relationship, I believe.

Uhmm, we probably need to look up the word "committed" again in the dictionary. In today's zany world, "committed" probably means dedicated to one thing until you lose interest in it and toss it away like a out-dated toy.

Let me momentarily link the guy from Northern Ireland with the guy from northern Montana: Morrison's first daughter, from one of his earlier commitments, is almost as old as the gramps from Montana. (No, Horace, I am not making this up.)

Into this world of kid grandparents and elder parents comes Kilmeny Liana Jordyn Mosher. As I write this, she has been at her mother's side for eighteen hours. Many would argue that she is less than a day old; others would argue that she is nine months and a day old. I personally stand firmly, clearly, and rationally in the latter camp.

One wonders where in the world her parents come up with such a combination of names, especially the first one. Well, I don't know for certain, but it apparently shows up somewhere in the annals of Canada's favourite redhead, Anne of Green Gables. Not having read a lot of Anne of Green Gables within the past month – or past decade, for that matter – I can only tell you what I heard, not what I read. It also has Celtic roots, adding to its intrigue.

I thought Craiganne or Craiglynn or even Craigmeny would have been a great name for my/our first granddaughter. (You have made the connection by now, haven't you?) For many of you, having grand-kids is, as they say, old hat. For those of us who are just starting out, it's a novelty, another untrodden path.

It's is also a supreme joy to think that a committed couple – in the true sense, not a merely cultural sense – have been blessed with a fully developed human being. How that all comes together, and I don't mean the birds and bees part, is beyond me. It's actually beyond any qualified scientist or philosopher, for that matter. Human birth transcends all science know-how. To see everything so perfectly formed, so meshed together, so fully functioning, is nothing less than a miracle.

Personally, at 42, I was still having kids (not grand-kids), but at 64, I trust that many more of my kids (not me) will be having kids of their own. And I plan to be still involved in a committed relationship with the same woman I have been for decades already.

If there is anything that has been reinforced in my thinking since I heard of Kilmeny's birth is this: We need to get serious about what I call "generational integrity." I just made that term up, suggesting that we as parents (and now grandparents) need to take our (grand)parenting stewardship seriously and lovingly.

It's crucial for Kilmeny and it's crucial for the future of our nation.