Posts Tagged ‘family’
Nana Practices Tricky Maneuvers
Being a Nana these days is tricky. Once, grandparents were asked for their advice on how to raise a child, but now members of the “younger generation” tend to turn to their peers; and it is important to accept that choice—no matter how frustrating it is to repress the urge to offer well-intentioned guidance. On…
Read MoreGetting Old is Heaven
As she moved into her mid-seventies, my Nana began to say: “getting old is hell.” And when my father reached the same point, he was wont to declare: “just take me out in the backyard and shoot me.” Both of them were pivotal people in my life, providing love, wisdom and stability over the course…
Read MorePaws into the Honeypot
You may recall that in my last letter I wrote of my upcoming visit with my younger son and his wife and my two little grandsons. Because of COVID restrictions, I had never met the littlest, who is now a robust seven months old, nor had I seen the three-and-a-half-year-old or even my son or…
Read MoreOur Motionless March
On March 30th, joy arrived in my house with a phone call: my second grandson had just been born in New York City. The photos my son then sent showed me what a beauty he is, only six and a half pounds, with a full head of dark hair. I am greatly relieved, as well,…
Read MoreLegacies of Love
Sometimes the years shift forward abruptly, like an earthquake: so much changes in the space of a second. This last Friday I was caught up short as I sat down at my desk and opened my computer. Nestled in my inbox was an email from the son of my best friend, Myrna, who died from…
Read MoreA Song For Juneteenth
As I write today, it is “Juneteenth,” the national celebration begun on June 19, 1865, when Major General Gordon Granger led Union soldiers into Galveston, Texas and announced that both the war and the scourge of slavery were over. This date gives me pause, leading me to reflect on its joyful creation as well as…
Read MoreMuseums and Mekking Eggs
Doesn’t everyone think their grandchildren are the very best ones around? Of course, my own grandson is truly amazing. At twenty-one months, his vocabulary is something of a shock: he is able to attach names to objects and emotions rather than simply repeating them all back to me like a parrot who doesn’t know what it is…
Read MoreSavoring the Cherry Trees
Retirement agrees with Brad! His retirement agrees with me! When my husband reached the ripe old age of 67 and said goodbye to his stressful career last winter, I worried whether he would find enough with which to occupy himself. However, to my delight, he seems happier than I can ever remember. He has begun to…
Read MoreA Joyful Bark
This morning, Breeze got up from her padded armchair–which we have allowed to become her dog bed–and walked across our room to greet me. I was slipping out of bed, ready to take her downstairs to potty and eat breakfast, when I noticed she was holding one paw up off the ground in an exaggerated…
Read MoreModel Trains…one piece at a time.
My husband retired last Friday and I am worried. While I celebrate his freedom from a job of which he was truly tired, I am also concerned about what he will now do with his time, as well as the loss of his income. How will the family budget survive? How will he survive psychologically? …
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