Tag: Granddaughter

Since You’ve Been Gone….

On By DGThomaIn Family, Food, Travel, Writing2 Comments

Since you’ve been gone, no wait maybe that was me.  I believe I’ve been away for a time.  Unlike Alice, I felt myself pulled under the riptide of busy work and never found the white rabbit or any other muse.

Sucked into the overwhelming crush of long hours and too many projects, none of them personal, I had no time, energy or creativity left to write one word.

123

A generational family trip proved to be the cure.  Combine one granddaughter, her mother and me, a grandmother.  Allow the mixture to rest until mellow.  Toss in a sprinkle of laughter, a dash of high adventure and season well with affection.  A change of scenery, an abundance of laughter, lots of companionship and a journey is a sure cure for recovery.

078

Embarking on a road trip across ten states in five days, we visited aliens in Roswell, slid across blistering white sand in search of Area 57 and followed a trail of crumbs left by Guy Fieri to consume amazing food.

Skirted Heifer
Skirted Heifer

Our final destination, Mount Rushmore.  We arrived after twilight, late in the night, while mule deer grazed the shoulders of the winding mountain roads.  The mountains, shrouded in the thick night air loomed eerily against the darkness.

145

As we drove, we played long forgotten car games, naming animals, flowers and songs beginning with each letter of the alphabet.   Hotel lights, a beacon, welcomed three weary explorers ready for a warm bed and restful night’s sleep.  It was a lovely hotel, but all we longed for was warm and clean.   The next morning, we awoke to a crisp 24 degrees, a dramatic swing from the 83 degrees I left behind in Austin, TX a few days before.

130

Squeezing a trip in wasn’t easy.  It took willpower to leave unfinished projects on the table and walk away.  The respite was exactly what I needed and I am so thankful I could do it with my daughter and granddaughter.   I am rested and ready to reignite.

Listening for your song…..

On By DGThomaIn Family, Writing1 Comment

Can you hear your song, Jilly Girl?  Listen carefully!  Your song is deep inside, but if you listen you can hear it.  It is a conglomeration of thousands of melodies from everyone who helped make you.  Your great-grandmother, Granny Greenway, Nana Thoma, Mama and great-aunts each contributed.  There are lots more that I don’t even remember.”

I recently found this message I had written to my granddaughter 15 or 16 years ago.  She had asked me to snuggle with her in our oversized recliner and watch a video.  Yes, we were still playing video tapes on a VCR back then.

We watched as an inventor named Doc and his dog Sprocket wandered through Fraggle Rock. Fraggle Rock is a Muppet type show created by Jim Henson.  It debuted in 1983.  Jillian was born in 1996 and has always loved retro things.  Betty Boop was her favorite animation and the theme from Top Gun was her favorite music.   The Fraggles spent the episode searching for their songs.  I heard Jillian humming, and realized she still had to find her inner songs.

I whispered to her, “Start looking now, before your life is cluttered with everyone else’s songs.”

Jillian is 19 years old now.  We don’t fit in that old recliner any more.  I’m sure neither of us have a copy of Fraggle Rock any longer.  We still enjoying snuggling occasionally.  She has a lovely song and it’s “cluttered” by many other songs.  I was wrong in one respect.  Her song is unique, but it’s definitely peppered with melodies and notes from everyone that has passed through her life and that’s the way it should be.

I haven’t shared this with Jillian and I don’t believe she will remember any advice I freely offered to her at 5 years young.  I hope she will always remember those special memories we created and continues to enjoy creating more of them.

But mostly, I hope she knows, how beautiful her song has become.