Grandma's Pride

Wow, what a wonderful three days I had with Serenity. I was determined to give her the time and attention that I use to give her before I lost all my energy. We had a great time playing even though grandma had to take a few breaks. On Sunday I gave Serenity her first sewing lesson. She sewed a straighter line than grandma. In no time she was stitching designs in the fabric. She loved doing this. I have no idea what this child will even desire to be when she grows up. Most children you can tell. They seem to be good at a particular thing or have one big passion. She enjoys so many things and seems to have so many abilities. Yes, I am biased, but this observation is clear to everyone who knows her. She is just so passionate about everything she does. She says she wants to be a doggie doctor when she grows up. Anyone who knows Jessica wouldn't be surprised that her daughter loves animals (especially dogs). She also loves music, dancing, singing, making up stories and plays and so many other things. Unfortunately, she doesn't like school (even though it's one of her favorite things to play). She says school is boring and she thinks grandma could teach her everything she learns at school. I explained to her that grandma is not equipped to be a teacher. Even grandma doesn't have the patience that a good teacher must have. I take my hats off to them. If I could teach Serenity anything, it would be how to be less shy. This child, who is willing to perform for anyone who will watch, is quite shy most of the time.

Most of us don't grow up to do or be what we wanted when we were young. I believe we all still carry the desire and passion in our hearts. We probably all know the child who wanted to be a nurse and grew up to be one or, the child who wanted to be a doctor who grew up to be one. We also all know someone like the bookkeeper who wanted to be an artist and still looks at everyday things and sees what they would look like welded together or sees a beautiful scene and sees it as a quilt or what it would look like in a charcoal sketch. We have the friend who wanted to be an artist and is caring, lovingly, for the less fortunate, or the daughter who is a real estate broker who desired to be an artist and can now see the potential in a piece of property. These people will always be artists. Actually, I think we are all artists. The surgeon who is so careful to stitch so that scar is invisible, the landscaper who mows a lawn or trims a bush in a beautiful even pattern and yes, the bookkeeper who in the days before computers could write such tiny and neat numbers and letters people would not believe they were done freehand. What a wonderful world we live in where a higher power has allowed everyone of us to help make a beautiful world.

I have five wonderful grandchildren now. I mostly talk about Serenity because I have spent so much of my life the last six years with her. Rarely do I go a week without her precious company. Yes, I can see her being the rock-star she talks about all the time. All of my grandchildren are very talented. I can see Char being a great horsemen/trainer (horse-person?) and McKenna being an actress and Kieran being a producer/director and Quinn being the poster child for what autism can be. I can't think of his name, but the guy who looks at a city and can later draw the scene in the most minute detail, from memory, that is Quinn. Just the fact that he has progressed so much in the short time I have known him, makes Quinn a work of art. I see the beauty and talent in each of these children and no matter what path they take in life, I will always see the beauty and talent.

DVD sleeve cover, by Quinn Price 8/2009

I never knew how much love my heart could hold,
Until someone called be Grandma.
(author unknown)

Each day we need to remember to look at all people with love. We can see the beauty and the talent in everyone we meet...yes, even those people we are not so fond of. Life is too short for the alternative.

Love and prayers to all.

P.S. The artist guy with the great memory for city scapes is Stephen Wiltshire.