“Take risks: if you win you will be happy – if you lose you will be wise.” -Author Unknown-
JOURNAL ENTRY:
I am not really sure how I raised five children. If I had to do it today, I couldn’t. Well, I mean I could but I would be a wreck. I know that children do this. Hang upside down. I did it when I was a child by wrapping my sweater around the tricky bars and going around and around and around. My children climbed and jumped and straddled and hung and ran and fell and cried and crashed. I took it in stride . . . a much more leisurely stride than I do today. When I saw Holden on the playground at his little cousins’ birthday party, I didn’t worry too much. His mother was there. She was relaxed. All I could see was the hard metal of the playground under his head. Even Grandpa moved closer and put out his arms. Even he was worried. Why wasn’t his mother worried? Why wasn’t he worried?
Nothing illustrates the changes people go through from parenthood to ‘grandparenthood’ better than a photograph like this. Although I have said this a million times just to be dramatic . . . this time I really meant it:
YOU ARE GOING TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK !
I gathered my wits about me long enough to take this photograph. Then I turned and walked away with my heart still beating. Fast. Quite fast. Actually, very fast.
“Grandma . . . look at me. Look at me !”
-Holden-