You Make Me Smile

On my way to the daycare I reflected on how fast my grandson was growing up because this is his last year in daycare. Lil Larry just turned five and he will be going to the big school this year. I’m very excited to have another little one going into elementary school from my family. It’s been a while since I’ve had the joys of the first years of school with one grandchild going to high school and one going to junior high. It will be great to still visit elementary school.

Arriving at the daycare Lil Larry is excitedly waiting on me. Hey grandma Brenda where are we going? Well we’re going to start with the park because it’s a Baha’i holiday. And we’re celebrating in memory of the Bab’s life. Great! Will there be children there? Oh yes, you can play on the playground after you eat. Looking in the rearview mirror, I asked a question I always ask my grandbabies. Lil Larry, do you know what you want to be when you grow up? Yeah grandma, he said. I was shocked because out of everyone in our family only Shanee knew at that age what she wanted to be when she grew up, I know from experience that at this age we need to foster our children’s dreams. So what do you want to be I asked? I want to be a scuba diver he said. Wow! What makes you think you want to be a scuba diver Larry? Why do you want to be a scuba diver honey? Because I saw them on TV and I wanna go down deep so I can see all of the sea animals! Wow, that sounds great Larry! I have a grandchild that wants to go deep I say to myself. Smiling, I continue having our exciting conversation until we get to the park. He is so excited telling me about his love of adventure. Now I know we have to get to the zoo this summer. He is going to be so much fun to go with! I can’t wait! He had so much fun at the park, and then we decided to go to the movies, we went to see “Ice Age, Dawn of the Dinosaurs”!

Larry was so excited in the movie that he kept asking me. Isn’t this fun grandma? Yes, Lil Larry I would say, just smiling at how excited he was. Suddenly, I realized that on the previous day I had put on my list of things to do; have fun as a top priority! No wonder he kept asking me. Isn’t this fun grandma! I realize now that God was reminding me through my grandbaby that She heard me. I really was having fun just watching him. He made me smile! That was also a confirmation of my desires being fulfilled. That little boy just makes me smile, while we are having fun! The joys of childhood are great!

(I wrote this piece in 2009…that little boy always made me smile! Storytelling is a wonderful way to remember our lives!)