alegría
There are many words that can describe joy or happiness. "Alegría" in Spanish, "Ilo" in Finnish, and "freude" in German for example. Babies show joy in their expression and it is so pure and honest that no words are necessary - in any language. They use their entire body and it is hard to fake that. Babies don't know how to fake emotion but unfortunately, like we all do, they will learn it eventually.
My grandson Desmond sometimes seems so overcome with joy at many, sometimes unexpected things (like shaking a lamp and playing patty cake). He just about erupts with baby happiness, alegría, ilo, freude - whatever you want to call it. It spills out of him - all you need to do is make a funny face at him or say a word like "pow" or "yakabuski" and he laughs hysterically.
Sometimes his joy is not as loud but still apparent in his little face. He smiles happily when we take him outside to touch all of the solar lights figures - hummingbirds, butterflies and a sunflower.
Spending time with a happy baby can't help but make a person happy as well. Seeing smiling babies was one of the best parts of my 35 year career and it always made a bad day better. It is one of the things I miss about my job. Being around Des has helped me to put that behind me - mostly.
It is sad that we have to grow up and lose our ability to find joy and happiness in the little things and we get weighed down by the problems of the world and the sadness that comes as a part of living. We all struggle harder to see the real joy that is always there and that babies see. Maybe we just need to try harder and shake a lamp once in a while or ask someone to throw us up in the air!
I got to spend a lot of time with Desmond this past week. I took him running in the baby jogger - 7 miles was enough to make me realize how hard it would be to push a grown person for an entire marathon like some people have done. Des loved it though and every time I slowed down to take a drink, he protested...he wanted to be on the move! It was a great run and I look forward to a day when he can run that 10K with me that I talked to him about a few days after he was born.
Having a grandbaby makes me feel like Bruce and I were good parents after all. I see how our son has become such a good daddy. I see the love in Auntie Kseniya and uncle Dan's eyes when they are around him. I see a little bit of us and also Scarlett's family in him and he will carry those bits of all of us throughout life - good and bad - and carry on when we are gone.
I understand more of what my mama went through when she didn't get to see her grandkids very often - she was a good grandma and I know she loved my kids and I know she was sad that she didn't get to see them much. I also believe somehow she sent Desmond down here after kissing him on the forehead and giving him a little instruction about life and how to live. I feel her presence when I am around him.
I am lucky to not have to work right now and to be able to spend time with my own kids and their families, and my grandson. In some ways, being a grandma allows you to make up for all the time you did not get to spend with your own kids. You get to take what you learned and apply it in a different way - and you are much calmer and relaxed. You also learn to forgive yourself for the things you did not do right as a parent and realize that most of the time you did the best you knew how. The best part is that a grandma's job is to just play with her grandchildren.
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| baby joy...my sweet grandson Desmond enjoying life |
My grandson Desmond sometimes seems so overcome with joy at many, sometimes unexpected things (like shaking a lamp and playing patty cake). He just about erupts with baby happiness, alegría, ilo, freude - whatever you want to call it. It spills out of him - all you need to do is make a funny face at him or say a word like "pow" or "yakabuski" and he laughs hysterically.
Sometimes his joy is not as loud but still apparent in his little face. He smiles happily when we take him outside to touch all of the solar lights figures - hummingbirds, butterflies and a sunflower.
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| Look at those eyes. Who could fake a look like this? |
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| having fun in the kitchen sink |
Spending time with a happy baby can't help but make a person happy as well. Seeing smiling babies was one of the best parts of my 35 year career and it always made a bad day better. It is one of the things I miss about my job. Being around Des has helped me to put that behind me - mostly.
It is sad that we have to grow up and lose our ability to find joy and happiness in the little things and we get weighed down by the problems of the world and the sadness that comes as a part of living. We all struggle harder to see the real joy that is always there and that babies see. Maybe we just need to try harder and shake a lamp once in a while or ask someone to throw us up in the air!
I got to spend a lot of time with Desmond this past week. I took him running in the baby jogger - 7 miles was enough to make me realize how hard it would be to push a grown person for an entire marathon like some people have done. Des loved it though and every time I slowed down to take a drink, he protested...he wanted to be on the move! It was a great run and I look forward to a day when he can run that 10K with me that I talked to him about a few days after he was born.
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| Des loves the baby jogger. I enjoyed having him along as a running buddy |
I understand more of what my mama went through when she didn't get to see her grandkids very often - she was a good grandma and I know she loved my kids and I know she was sad that she didn't get to see them much. I also believe somehow she sent Desmond down here after kissing him on the forehead and giving him a little instruction about life and how to live. I feel her presence when I am around him.
I am lucky to not have to work right now and to be able to spend time with my own kids and their families, and my grandson. In some ways, being a grandma allows you to make up for all the time you did not get to spend with your own kids. You get to take what you learned and apply it in a different way - and you are much calmer and relaxed. You also learn to forgive yourself for the things you did not do right as a parent and realize that most of the time you did the best you knew how. The best part is that a grandma's job is to just play with her grandchildren.
Comments
We miss you out here in this muggy heat. We miss coming over to your house and having delicious dinner and chatting over drinks. We miss you playing with Desmond. And, I think, the dogs miss you guys a lot.