All the joy and fewer of the worries

“Blessed are those who have not lost hope” is the theme of the fifth World Day of Grandparents, celebrated this Sunday, July 27, which coincides with the Feast Day of Saints Joachim and Anna. As the parents of Mary, they were the grandparents of Jesus.
 
For Orlando Zepeda, Construction Manager of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, the awe, joy, and hope he felt when holding his first grandson are hard to put into words: “It was amazing – it was such a gift, the gift of life.” It reminded him of holding each of his children at their birth, but “without the worries – I don’t have to be responsible for raising them, but I can give them all my love.”
 
Orlando became a grandfather six months ago when Aurelio Daley, the first son of his middle daughter Alexis, was born. His son-in-law is from Chicago, and Aurelio’s was his favorite pizza place growing up. It turns out that Pope Leo grew up in the same suburb and liked Aurelio’s pizza, too: “We went there, and now they have a Pope Leo table, dedicated to him.” When little Aurelio was born, no one knew that there would be a Pope from Chicago.
 
Aurelio, nicknamed Lio, lives with his parents in Houston, and Orlando and his wife often drive there. “We are a close-knit family, and we’re glad we can reach them by car.” Showering little Aurelio with love, and also bringing him the love of God, is a task he looks forward to, along with welcoming more grandchildren in the future.