Once Again wrote:T1,
Praying for your daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. It's so hard to raise children in the faith without a strong church.
Laura
thank you for your prayers.
please, i hope to extend them to all children and their families who are attempting to learn how to live on earth .. without Truth.
the William Booth quote at the top of this page is entirely relevant to what i witness in the world.
i’m finding it impossible to fairly describe what is happening.
if i describe my worries, it may seem as tho worry is all i have. that’s not accurate.
if i describe what i think my family is getting wrong, it may seem they are all wrong.
no, that’s not it.
honestly, i’m amazed with all they are getting right.
there is extra-confusion right now, leaving a parochial school for a public school.
some of this is very hard for me. i understand the decision to move, the school was costly.
for all the financial cost, it was not a “perfect” setting.
somehow, from her birth, my granddaughter and i have had a special closeness.
i won’t describe how this unfolded just now, but, as things went, i happened to have lots of time with her, even tho they have lived far away. multitudes of small moments, even at a distance, building this closeness.
during this last visit, she happened to ask,
”grammy, why are you happy all the time?!”
this caught my attention.
i felt so badly, knowing how i do worry.
but, her question was sincere.
i give thanks to the Holy Spirit, i pray everyday to find good words. her question tells me i’m doing something right. i cannot take credit.
i responded to her,
“i have you as my granddaughter, how can i not be happy?!” and,
“and, you have always been the happiest child i’ve ever known!”
she has been a happy child, even in the face of unhappiness around her.
she’s 10 now, her emotions are becoming more complex. she’s growing up.
still, a joyful spirit. i hope this endures with her throughout life.
in the past, i talked (with them) about one of my grandmothers.
she was an only child, born in 1899, on a farm in the Midwest.
she was loved, but described her childhood as remote from other children, and lonely. i’m sure it was.
eventually, she married my grandfather who came from a big family. her instant big family!
they had 9 children, then many many grandchildren and great-grandchildren in their lifetimes.
i don’t recall ever seeing or hearing of my grandmother (or grandfather) being anything but happy.
they loved their family.
as an older child, she once told me about her lonely childhood. i had no idea.
this was a special confidance. “people” didn’t talk about the sad parts of life.
they emphasized positives, tried to minimize negatives.
there had to be so many sad things for them
the World Wars, flu pandemics, life before polio vaccine, deadly childhood illnesses, the Great Depression .. so many things.
but, esp prior to “talk TV,”
gratitude to God in all circumstances was valued.
“talk TV” brought out the (underbelly) of life. this was found to be a big seller.
by now, the uglier the better. many have abandoned TV.
now i wonder.
will i be remembered as the grandmother who was always happy?!
i never dreamed this would be. now i think it could be.
funny how things go.
i would love that legacy. however unearned.