Due to schedules and distances and needing to share our kids with their other families, Batman, Cora, Wilma and I will be having a very quiet holiday season here at our "bit of earth". But this past weekend we did a crazy 48 hour zoom down to Brooklyn and back. We drove because we had some balsam trees to deliver along the way, and a case of Long Trail ale, and a jug of maple syrup and some packages and a bag of "pass them along" magazines and we didn't think we could manage all that on Amtrak's Vermonter.
Little Maggie has been part of our family for a bit over a year now, but this weekend I think I felt a shift under my feet. I've thought of her as part of our family, and indeed she is. But while we tromped around Brooklyn with Gretta, Ben and their little cherub, I realized that now we are also a part of their family. Does that make any sense?
I was reminded over and over again of one of my very favorite poems, Antoine de Saint-Exupery's Generation to Generation.
"...Love, like a carefully loaded ship, crosses the gulf between generations..."
You can read the full text of the poem here. It's a very lovely poem, in fact, Batman and I read it at Stewart and Dawn's wedding years ago. I have sent a copy of it to friends when I've thought it might be of some comfort. It's that kind of poem.
I love how the words of poems can provoke different nuances as we age.
And I love that now I'm part of a younger family, too.
What a nice way to look at being a grandparent. It is a miracle I am grateful for all the time.
ReplyDeleteYes. My daughter and I had a sweet epiphany about the true miracle of it all while walking in Prospect Park on Saturday. xo
DeleteBalsam fir is one of my favourite scents! A jug of maple syrup and magazines sound wonderful to me. It must be so warming to be part of a loving family. What you are doing now will become precious memories for you all. x
ReplyDeleteI know how my 86 year old Mumsie treasures her memories. As we get older, memories become all the sweeter. xo
DeleteWhat a beautiful poem! We don't have a grandchild but we are blessed with kids in our neighborhood. Since my husband and I lead a calmer life than the busy parents, we do our best to help out. Our three year old neighbor spends Saturday mornings with us to give her parents room to breathe, we plan neighborhood pot lucks (and this week, a solstice bonfire) to help the families all have good memories of growing up. Yes, we have made ourselves part of their young families, unintentionally, but with tremendous pleasure for all.
ReplyDeleteOh Lori, how very lucky your neighborhood is!
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