With all the turmoil taking place in our community and our country in the last week, it would be easy to write of gloom and doom in this Unorganized Territory. But I don’t think that would be helpful to anyone— myself included.
Instead, I’m going to share some pleasant thoughts as Christmas approaches to cheer myself up. And when this week’s issue of the Cook County News-Herald is complete, I plan to spend some time with some of my favorite people—my grandchildren.
It is hard to be sad in the company of young people. Tired, yes, they can really wear you out. But not sad. Having a little one wrap their arms around your leg and say, “love you,” is the cure for just about any ailment.
The littlest of my grandchildren, two-year-old Eloise, reminded me of that this weekend. My husband Chuck and I watched Eloise on Sunday while the rest of the clan went skiing at Lutsen Mountains. At just two years old, she isn’t quite ready to tackle the Magic Carpet and the Bunny Hill. So she gets some one-on-one time with Grandma Rhonda and Grandpa Chuck.
She is a great deal of fun, but as I said, grandkids can wear you out. Especially if you are trying to get household chores—or tasks like wrapping Christmas presents—done. Sometimes it is hard to find little “jobs” to keep her occupied.
Eloise got bored with helping wrap and she found her baby doll stroller, which she proceeded to drive into me as I sat on the floor, surrounded by scraps of holiday wrapping paper and accessories.
To distract her, I handed her the pretty pink princess phone that she likes to play with and pretended to talk to her. “Are you taking your baby for a walk?” I asked.
Eloise said, “Yes!” and ran off, pushing the little stroller and giving me a short breather—I thought.
A few moments later, she was back, bumping me with the miniature stroller again. I turned around to tell her to stop to find that she was standing there with her coat, hat and boots on…ready to take a walk!
Oh dear. I started to tell her sorry. I didn’t mean that we were going to take a walk. I had to get my packages wrapped and I didn’t have time…. as I spoke her head drooped and her lower lip quivered.
Oh dear, there is no better way to melt a grandma’s heart than by having hurt feelings. A temper tantrum I can ignore or send to timeout. But a sad little two-year-old?
No one with a heart could resist!
So I postponed wrapping presents and went and found my jacket, hat and mittens and had an absolutely delightful walk with Eloise.
The baby doll in the stroller didn’t get to go, as it was too snowy and slushy for the wheels to get through. So the baby doll patiently waited, parked on the deck as we hiked a forest path between our house and the neighbor’s, checking out tracks in the snow.
We found lots and lots of deer tracks, some rabbit tracks, some skinny squirrel tracks and some that I couldn’t identify. I think they may have been pine marten tracks.
We also discovered that Eloise’s boots left tracks with little heart patterns. It was a very slow walk after we noticed that. We had to take a step and then stop to make sure she was leaving hearts along the way. And we had to giggle every time.
It was an altogether wonderful way to spend an afternoon. Of course it meant that I had to stay up an hour later than I had planned that night, finishing up my gift wrapping. But it was more than worth it.
As I sleepily completed wrapping presents that evening, I realized I had received an early Christmas present—a gentle reminder that every day with our kids and grandkids is a gift.
Hugs can do great amounts of
good—especially for children.
Diana, Princess of Wales
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