My youngest daughter and her family went camping last weekend. After their first night in the tent, Grandson had spots all over his forehead. Looked like he was attacked by an army of mosquitoes. By noon, Grandbaby Girl had them too and Grandson was covered. Being the all-wise grandmother I am, I looked at the medical book and confidently stated they had the measles.
By the next morning, the spots looked a little different and Grandbaby had a strange cough. No doctor’s appointments available, so off I went with daughter and the kids to the walk-in clinic. The verdict – chickenpox, although a more rare kind that doesn’t form pox and then break. Grandson was still feeling fine, but Grandbaby had a fever now and her breathing was terrible sounding. Doctor said take her to the hospital emergency department as it could be serious. So off we went again, this time leaving Grandson with Poppa.
A few hours later, Grandbaby was admitted to hospital suffering from severe croup as well as chickenpox and spent the night and following day. Mom, of course, stayed too and Grandson got to sleep at Gramma’s house. He never acted as though he was upset that Mom and baby sister were in the hospital – after all, he’s five years old. But his favorite stuffed dog never left his arms and when sister finally came home he kept hugging her. For a few days after, they even managed to play together.
It was hard to see Grandbaby so ill, although I know that is the daily experience of many families. It did make us realize again that people are more important than things and we need to cherish our times together while we can. So if you can see your grandkids, give them a hug and let them know how special they are to you. And if they can’t be with you, keep them in your prayers and close to your heart.
What a great story Carol. How true it is to hug up those grandkids as much as possible. I watch my 3 year old granddaughter everyday. We took a 4 day weekend as our vacation and today she is perched behind me on my office chair giving me kisses over and over. (Guess she missed me as much as I missed her)
I love your title and tagline. Aren’t we all supergramma’s?
Thanks so much Mary and your visual is great. I can just see you with your granddaughter giving you kisses. When I was little, I loved two things about going to Gramma’s house. Looking through her jewelry box and brushing her hair. I could brush for hours and we both loved it.
Yes, we are all supergramma’s! I’d like to get t-shirts made for all of us. Enjoy your grandkids while you can and even when they grow up they’ll still want to be with you.
Carol – This is a classic “Murphy’s Law” story – High hopes for a pleasant vacation turned into a scary nightmare.
I love the lesson you share with us, going straight to GRATITUDE with no energy wasted on disappointment of lost expectations. Thanks for guiding us to this wisdom.
Thanks so much for your comments Ronda! I don’t think I was really aware of the lesson myself until you pointed it out. As I mentioned in a reply to another post, I want my life to be getting better, rather than bitter, so I like to see the good around me.