Defining Help

This morning I was helping my almost 4 year old grandson carry some Lego's upstairs for him to play with.  I handed him one case with a nice carrying handle while I grabbed another while balancing an uncovered one full of tiny miscellaneous pieces on top. In my left hand I grabbed a much larger box ready to go.  I took two steps and the uncovered container slipped, spilling hundreds a the smallest Lego pieces they make; tiny little neon lights, hands, heads, feathers, flower tops and heaven only knows the use of most of these practically invisible items.
Alec exclaimed, "OH NO!" and with the most sincere look on his face squatted down to look at the eight foot perimeter they had scattered:(   Most of them were practically hidden in the texture of the multi-colored carpet as I struggled with even grasping most of them.
My immediate thought was, "Thank goodness he is such a good boy and is going to help me pick these little pieces up." 
He then jumped up and said, "Grandma, I will help you."   He then reached out and grabbed the one handled container I still had in my hand and promptly and dutifully headed upstairs while I sat among the rubble...

While I really couldn't complain as he WAS helping me- I did think to myself, "Boy, I misread that one!"
Goes to show that while great minds think alike, they somehow are still a bit different:)

Words of Hope

I am a saver of great words.  In fact I have a pile of comments and sayings that have moved me over the years and on occasion I pull them out and read through them.  This one struck me the other day and I just had a need to pass it on. It is one that should be built in to our minds for use in time of need.

"Sorrow comes in great waves...but it rolls over us,
 and though it may almost smother us, it leaves us.
 And we know that if it is strong, we are stronger,
 inasmuch as it passes and we remain."
~ attributed to Henry James

A Good Easter

We had a small gathering for Easter this year but that didn't make it any less special.  The sunrise service was amazing, the weather was beautiful the food excellent, the games we played in the afternoon and the laughter shared made for a joyous day!
 The "frosting on the cake" was hearing from the 4 kids that weren't with us this year!  That small gesture made my Easter complete.
It was a day of counting ones blessings and being thankful for the life we are given.

Phone Talk

I called my son this week to see how he was feeling after a bad cold.  At the end of the conversation he told me that my 4 year old grandson was sitting next to him patiently waiting to talk to me.  This always makes me happy:)  Here are some highlights of our conversation.

Me--"Hi Easton, is it really cold there?"
E--"Ahhh Grandma, I'm not outside right now, I'm in the house..."
Me--"Did Mommy get your Valentine's Day books out yet?"
E--"Well, my mom is at work right now."
Me--"I know honey, but I thought maybe she had gotten them out for you."
E--"Well I can ask her?"
Me--"Maybe you can ask your Daddy to get them out for you."
E--"Just a minute, I will ask him."  In the background I hear him saying, " Dad, can you get my Valentine's Day books out?"   He comes back on the phone and says, " My Dad says he can get them for me."
Me--"Oh Easton, I love talking to you on the phone."
E--"Well, did you know I have another Grandma and she calls me all the time... oh,oh, oh... I mean she talks to my Mom all day long and my Dad too."
Me--" That's really nice that she calls them, she must love them a lot."
E--"Ya, she talks to them all the time."
Me--"I miss you Easton, maybe you can come see me pretty soon?"
E--" Ya, I think we are coming in two weeks, that's when we are coming!
Me--(I know this is not something that he has run by his parents
        " Well I hope so, make sure you tell Mom and Dad."
E--Yelling to his Dad, "Are we going to go see Grandma in the woods?"
     By this time I need to use the bathroom so figured it was a good time to end our fun conversation.
Me--" Easton, Grandma has to go now, but I will talk to you later OK?"
E--" Nooooo....why do you have to go?"
Me--" Because I have to go potty!"
E--"Awww!" Yelling loudly  " Dad, Grandma has to go potty!"
The phone goes clunk and our visit is over.
What fun is that?  I never had a conversation with my Grandma like that!
I sure love that little guy:)

I'm Home

I woke up this morning with a feeling of excitement intertwined with loneliness and nostalgia.  I had a dream that I was home; not this home, but my childhood home.  I was walking the streets of my small hometown with my friends Margie and Phyllis like we use to do when I would stay overnight at their house and we would go for walks.  It was winter and we were easily shuffling our feet through the snow as we walked next to the railroad tracks across from Schancer's Coach Tavern talking about silly things that only friends can understand.
The interesting thing is that we were young girls again - Oh my gosh, how fun to see us young and innocent and carefree again!
As we continued on, we suddenly got older and ended up near a house that was put up as a museum sitting among some trees behind the Post Office; a place I had never even been to in reality.  This house was filled with all kinds of nostalgic items: nicknacks, dishes, pictures, books, sheet music; almost like the displays you see when you go to House on The Rock, but on a smaller scale.  I inquired about this place and suddenly my sister Betty was there telling me that  two old houses were bought and moved together to make this museum and she loved going there as it was so fun to see all the collected items of times gone by.

As I walked through this house, up the old wooden stairs and across the creaky hardwood floors, I was filled with such warmth and familiarity. It was like stepping back in time and being a child again surrounded by things that felt comfortable and reassuring to me.
I woke up with a euphoria that is hard to explain and as I let this feeling soak in, trying hard not to lose the dream or that comforting sensation, it sadly starts to fade.
Suddenly it triggers other thoughts and memories and my mind races remembering fragments of other things from my childhood which have long been tucked a way in my brain; days of sledding down the hill on pieces of cardboard boxes, skating down on the river under the Black Bridge, the red cellophane wreath that hung in our window adding a glow of wonder and spirit to the holidays...

At that point I had to get up as my mind was racing and I really needed to capture what little was left of my dream in hopes of preserving it and not losing it once again. The final thought I had as I got out of bed and hurriedly pulled my sweatshirt over my nightgown while shoving my feet into my slippers; is that one never really leaves home.  It is embedded in our psyche and the total package of who we are and are to become!
 I now have a different home; but in reality I truly have two homes. The first, which nurtured, embraced and molded me into who I am today, while the second one fulfills the dreams that were set in motion all of those years ago in a place I still call home.

Foggy In More Ways Than Not

I just got back from taking my grandson Billy (14 1/2) and granddaughter Caitlyn (11 1/2) in to school this morning. It turned in to be just the thing I needed to kick start my day!

Just before we went out the door the weather man was stating the visibility in the area due to fog; that turned out to be the topic of conversation on our drive in to school. All three of us were discussing  the meaning of the word visibility and what .25 visibility meant, when suddenly the van in front of us on a curvy back road braked.

 Caitlyn who was sitting in the back seat asked me why the vehicles in front of us were going so slow, and I explained to her that the car in front of the van turned off on a side road causing the van to suddenly hit it's brakes due to the bad visibility. I went on to explain that I was sure they were now driving slower to be extra careful as it is hard to see what is in front of them.

Here is the conversation that followed this event:

Billy immediately asked her,  "Caitlyn, if you were in the woods right now would you run or  walk?"

Caitlyn replied, "Depends on what noises I hear!"

(I am now smiling as I see where Billy is going with this conversation and it is obvious that Caitlyn doesn't have a clue:)

Billy then takes a deep, calm breath and philosophically says, "OK, if you were in a dark house with no lights on would you run or walk?"

Caitlyn in a very perky voice answers, " Well...sometimes I run in the house :)"
(Still not getting it.. so by now, and even as I write this, I am laughing out loud)

Finally, with voice raised a few decibels Billy exclaims, "Caitlyn! I am trying to make you understand why you have to go slower and be more careful when it is foggy out and you can't see, don't you get it? !!!!"

Caitlyn sweetly replies, "Oh!"

OH MY GOSH, this made my day and I have been smiling ever since!!

It just goes to show what a wealth of fun and "feel goods" a person can get by engaging young people in conversation and discussion. It's my favorite part of being a mom and grandma.

Hope you are all taking time to talk to your kids and enjoying every adventure it leads you on.
 Have a great day!

HEADSTONES AND SHOVELS

Two weeks ago I was riding up north with my son Blake and his two sons Tate (10 1/2) and Easton (3 1/2) when we drove past my hometown cemetery.
 I told the boys that this is where my mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, great grandma, great grandpa and my brother were buried.  Easton, being an inquisitive conversationalist at his age, immediately exclaimed,
 "Is there an X there?" 
 Unsure of what he meant at first, I hesitated until Blake chuckled quietly to me that he was talking about pirates and grave yards.  I had to smile, and replied that there weren't any X's there, just headstones with their names on it!
 I explained that some day I would have to take them there to show them where everyone's grave was. Without a moment of hesitation, he asked,
 " Should I bring my shovel?"
At this point neither Blake nor myself could contain ourselves any longer and  we started to laugh out loud while telling him that we wouldn't need any shovels as we didn't want to dig them up as they were happy in heaven right now, and there were only bones left in the grave.
He excitedly asked,
 "Do they have clothes on in heaven?"
 Still smiling at his questions, I assured him that I was sure they did.  Suddenly Tate, who had been soaking all of this in, asked,
"So if their bones are here are they kind of squishy up in heaven?"
Hmmm, way to keep me on my toes...  I told him that I was sure they were all healthy and standing just fine as God makes everything OK again. I had to wonder  to myself how this conversation went from a nostalgic type of tone to one of a spooky graveyard and an alien type of finale!

However that happened, it sure made for a fun ride and a great conversation, one I will never forget. I sure love those guys:)