Monday, December 10, 2007

An Early Christmas Gift


Our three year old granddaughter spent the weekend with us. She came down Friday evening with her Daddy. Mom stayed at home to have some R and R after her final exams. A well deserved rest for her, and a gift for us.
Samantha was a Busy Lizzy all weekend. We went for a walk on Saturday, she helped carry some plants in the nursery when she wasn't making mud pies, "feeding" the maples by putting spent leaves in the pots, and hitting every mud puddle she could possibly find.
Inside, she was "cooking", grocery shopping, arranging my Christmas bears and working on her Project. This project consisted of heavy stock paper, every sticker I could find, and random pencil squiggles on the paper.
Her enthusiasm for everything knows no bounds. Her pride in her accomplishments and joy of just Being is contagious.
My wish and prayer for her is that she can hang onto her enthusiasm, pride in her accomplishments and her sense of wonder for life. I fervently hope that the rug of childhood is not snatched out from underneath her too soon.
I know that before we turn around, she will care about what she puts on in the morning, she will be cognizant that her headbands she now wears backwards on her head are not "cool", and that she will soon begin to compare herself to others and may feel she comes up short. Someday too, she may want to be somewhere else rather than with her grandparents.
I am keeping safe the memories of these times we have. I am going to remember always this weekend when she declared, "Gams, you are hilarious!", or "Gammie, you are my best friend!"
I am going to keep the sight of her hugging her Poppy and the memory of her draping pieces of my yarn all over her Daddy's head in a safe place.
Thank you, Samantha, for the gift of you. We are blessed.

5 comments:

weebug said...

and that my friend, is a true gift. holding on to those memories, while enabling their wings is so hard sometimes.

Monica said...

She is a blessing and a very lucky girl to have a sweet grandma like you.
Take care Ellen!
Monica

marylou said...

I am so happy for you:) To have such joy with this charming little child is truly a GIFT!! I imagine you anxiously await her visits and feel a tug at your heart when she leaves. I am still in the waiting process of having a grandchild but I know when it does happen, if I am above ground, I shall be delighted. AND, I shall buy lots of CANDY ^-^
You did not think I would let you off that easy Ms. E now did ya??
Loves ya, Marylou

Crayons said...

Thank you so much for the kind comments on my blog. Your insights here about the process of socialization are so accurate. She sounds like a delight. I especially like your idea of having joy in just being. I'm looking forward to visiting you again.

robyn L. said...

What a wonderful account of your weekend with your granddaughter. She sounds like such a joy. I work with children, and I am always "re-realizing" how precious the time is that I have with them.