Grandma Time

I was out and about yesterday running errands. It was a pleasant day - no rain for a change - and I enjoyed listening to the light jazz playing on NPR as I made my rounds. First stop: the post office, I had a fresh batch of books to mail to SCBR reviewers. I am finally learning to navigate my way around the convoluted road system in downtown Auburn and made it in and out without getting lost or turned around. Chalk one up for me!


Second stop was the Natural Food Store in Federal Way. We are working on making changes in our diet both for health reasons and because we think it is the right thing to do. I stocked up on fresh organic produce, eggs, tofu, and a few other odds and ends before heading upstairs where they have a deli and other natural products like lotions and things of that sort. As I browsed the aisles (where I found a gorgeous cotton shawl that followed me home) a little girl and her grandma came running over to the essential oil section.

She must have been about two years old and her eyes sparkled as she reached up toward the oils. Grandma had promised that her good behavior would earn her the opportunity to smell each different fragrance. I smiled at the pair as I heard Grandma tell Little Miss that “Grandma has made pretty bottles like this at home. They must be thirty-five years old.” I doubted that the words meant much to Little One, but I considered that day-after-day, month-after-month, year-after-year, as Grandma told these stories to Little Miss they would become a part of her.

From the Natural Food Store I continued on to Barnes and Noble. I had learned that they had a Dummies book specific to the fancy schmancy camera that Gerry bought a few weeks ago. Though we have attended two classes, honestly much of the instruction was way over my head. I hope that the Dummies book will be remedial enough to help me to begin using this camera the way it’s intended.

I found the book and then headed over to the children’s section. How sweet it is to have a reason to browse in the children’s book section again! There, sitting on a tiny chair was another Grandma reading to her grandson. Little Guy was younger than the Little Miss at the Natural Food Story, and in typical boy-manner was having trouble concentrating fully on the story that Grandma was reading. Grandma continued to read, gently drawing his attention back when in wandered. I knew what a gift she was giving to Little Guy on that day as she read to him, and I suspected that she read to him often.

As I traveled home the longing for my own grandchildren intensified. Jaxon had his second birthday this week! It seems like yesterday that I held him for the first time! Now he likes Manny the Handyman, and hockey (true Canadian child that he is!), and even sleeps in a “big boy bed”.

Makiya is eighteen months old and can point out a plethora of animals and colors and shapes in her picture books, she says sweet little things like ‘tickle, tickle, tickle’, and best of all knows how to say “grandma”.

As a child I didn’t have the blessing of a grandma in my life who would read to me and take me shopping; it will be different for Jaxon and Makiya.

I am feeling very homesick this morning. It’s time to head back to the “old country” for some grandma time.