It has been a busy week away from home. I have had the privilege of staying with our oldest son, Mark’s, family near Lewiston, MN, after his wife, Heather, had surgery. They have an active family of seven daughters, and we have had lots of fun “doing life” together for several days. Most of the days have consisted of normal family chores and activity with laundry, meals, naps, games, school, and having fun together. We have been blessed with friends and extended family bringing evening meals to help us out. It is such a joy to “turn the light on” outside and people appear carrying pans and bowls of delicious stuff for us. What a great way for people to help out and and give extra loving care to those in need. We sure have appreciated it!
Their family enjoys movies as much as I do, so several evenings have found us snuggled under blankets on the couch or floor doing some movie marathons. Each of the girls have favorites, so they do the choosing and I have benefited from seeing some new shows with them. One evening, after all had gone to bed, I thought someone had fallen asleep on the floor. I tapped on the blanket, only to realize that it was their large stuffed horse that someone had used for a pillow! I have had several laughs this week, and that was one of them.
Jordana is eight, and when she had her birthday last October we didn’t get to do our traditional birthday shopping trip with her. Usually grandpa and I have fun with the grandkids together, but this time she and I had to do it alone. We decided to take time out on a late afternoon in Winona the day before the snow arrived. We started out at “Grace Place”, which is a consignment store full of practically priced and fun stuff for little girls. Later we continued on to a few stores where she found some cute clothes and other items that were treasures to her. It is pretty fun to watch as a granddaughter chooses her favorite things and then tries them on. Her eyes sparkled as she told me where she would wear certain things. A fun time for me to be part of.
As the snow began to fall, and then became thicker, we heard the wind whip around and through the trees. These southeastern Beermans live on an acreage right off a busy highway. We could watch the cars and trucks get slower and slower going by as the visibility became less and less. None of us ventured out for a couple days until once again the sun dawned into a bright blue sky on Saturday morning. Estella, age five, and her sister, three year old Acacia, and I spent time reading books while everyone else was still asleep. Part of my job during the week was to help these two youngest in the family be somewhat quiet so their mom could rest and continue to heal.
While we were sharing their favorite story about a grey squirrel, Miss Suzy, Heather interrupted us to ask if I wanted to take Estella into Winona for her hour of gymnastics. Of course, I could do that, if I could get my car out of the snowy driveway. It had been scooped out late the evening before so I thought it would be no problem. We quickly got ready, and I went out to warm up the van. It started fine, but reality set in when I realized the back doors were frozen shut. The snow scraper could not be reached, so back in the house I went to find a large plastic spatula. The car was covered with at least 4 inches of snow, and the windshield wipers were stuck tight. I jabbed and pushed away the sticky snow the best I could. Slowly the defroster from inside the car helped me out.
It was then I realized the error of my ways! I had traveled four hours from home, on a warmer than normal February day, with only a spring coat and no gloves or boots. Now I had cold, wet hands and very wet tennis shoes. Along with the winter wind blowing right through the lighter weight coat! Good grief! I was born in this Minnesota stuff; you’d think I would remember what winter is like and not be fooled. By the time I could get Estella into a back seat…through a now unfrozen door…several minutes had passed. But we were finally on our way.
About halfway there she inquired if I was going the right way. I told her I hoped so! The curvy, hilly roads were a little slick, so it took a little longer than usual, but we finally made it to our destination. She was so excited, that I had already forgotten about all the commotion of getting there. As we walked in, Estella got a disgruntled look on her face and said, “ Grandma, we should have left earlier, they are already started!” Yup, she was right. All ages and sizes of kids were doing flips, bouncing on mats, and up on balance beams. I encouraged her to just get going and join in the fun. She did, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching. Whew! What a crazy morning! When we were done we enjoyed pancakes at McDonald’s. Her smile and hug, with a thank you, was a perfect ending to our crazy beginning.
The following popped up on my phone one day from my daughter. I thought about it on our drive home that morning!
“Note to self:
When life is hectic and you are overwhelmed,
and your brain is like a squirrel darting across a busy street,
remember that all you ever have to do,
at any given moment, is THE NEXT THING.
You can manage that. Also you should drink some water.
Maybe have some chocolate or something.
You’re doing fine.
(Sweatpantsandcoffee.com)
lbeerman68@gmail.com
