Windows to a Grandparent's Heart

Tonight we had supper with my sister and her family, Rita and her husband Andrew, her daughter Kelsey and her boyfriend Travis and her son’s daughter Ava.  Ava is 5 years old, two years younger than my granddaughter Hailey. 

I remember the first time I saw Ava.  She was a baby being carried in her Grandfather’s arms at Dan and my wedding.  She was so little.  And Andrew so smitten with that small bundle.

I have seen this tender look before in the eyes of another man.  I saw that soft sweet expression every time Dan was with Hailey.   Both of these men held these small beings in their large hands.  Smiling, as they hardly breathed.  You could see their hearts open and overflowing in the presence of their granddaughters.

One of my favorite pictures was taken the day Hailey was born.  Dan is holding her in his arms looking down on her tiny face.  The light shimmers and reflects in his eyes as he holds this wondrous gift.

Andrew once told me that he loved to just watch Ava sleep, marveling at her tiny fingers and toes.  I sat between my husband and Andrew tonight, I watched him gaze at his wife and granddaughter with affection and tenderness. 

As I contemplate these scenes, my eyes grow misty.  We are so lucky to know this kind of love.  I know these little girls are blessed with the love of family.  There is something quite wonderful about a grandchild.

Here’s to the love of grandparents. I often joke that when I married Dan I gained a daughter and a son, but best of all I got a granddaughter without having to raise her parents.

The Paper Monster is Lurking Behind that Stack of Books

You can always tell how stressed I am by looking at my desk.  Does it looks like an avalanche in the making, ready to bury the unsuspecting passerby?  Then you know I am a little stressed.  Though to be fair I may just be going through a creative streak. 

I know it is bad when my students offer to clean my desk off.  When I am working on a new unit, I can tune out all distractions. The papers multiply, the book stacks grow taller, until either I come up for breath or my principal threatens to take my laptop away.

You see this is the first laptop I have had for school.  It arrived the last of October and she told me she wouldn’t give it to me until I had my desk cleared off.  It took me a week to dig out from under the piles of paper.  I feel good that I managed to control the chaos until now.  Three months people could see that there was a desk. 

Right now the stacks are making me uncomfortable.  They are growing taller.  I can play hide and seek and no one would find me.  I keep telling myself I need to take baby steps combined with action, instead of just reading FlyLady’s blog http://www.flylady.com/.  She teaches people how to move from chaos to order. I read her posts hoping to  bring order to my life and not just because she is funny.

I know the paper monster is lurking, hidden within the stacks.  Waiting for that unsuspecting soul to walk by triggering an avalanche.  Where to start? Hmm – I really don’t want to deal with the paper monster right now.  I think I’ll go and play with some new ideas for class next week.