January one 2009. Keenly aware.“promises to keep and miles to go before we sleep.” (Robert Frost)
two children to observe and be present with.
One barely 6 years & counting. He stays overnight and at evening stories & prayers I explain a physical concept from the medical field.
He says "Grandma, you don't know the world."
One barely 6 years & counting. He stays overnight and at evening stories & prayers I explain a physical concept from the medical field.
He says "Grandma, you don't know the world."
Next morning his daddy comes to get them. He is in the entryway that contains his original painting. When he was four I showed him how to paint on canvas, laid out colors, and he painted a gorgeous impressionistic 16 x 20 painting hanging there in the living room entry..
It was in another room on my floor artists' easel until a friend asked "Who painted that? I like it!" With that comment came the discovery that my perception was accurate and not just grandmotherly. Colors of green and blue augmented with bits of splashes of white. We could sell prints of them. Here his daddy stands and greets him hello. The first thing he says to daddy:
"I got crumbs on the couch."
"I got crumbs on the couch."
I let him eat on the couch watching a good video hoping he puts food in his mouth and swallows. I don't mind the crumbs because he eats only crumbs. A bite is a crumb.
I merely brush them off. The whole eating process becomes a sort of sacrifice. He survives on milk & Ovaltine and is in the lowest weight percentile for his age. Does he have an eating disorder. He saw his mother almost die from insulin releasing, and that was tied into food when the intake of juices did no good and paramedics and 4 emergency vehicles came to the rescue with him observing the whole thing which ended up in a hospital room.
Now, besides the Tinker Toys and the Lincoln Logs, the world is composed of Legos. He learned about Legos from his cousin.
He led everyone in singing "We wish you a merry Christmas" and "Deck the Halls", noticing if persons forgot some of the words as he remembers every word of 
hundreds of songs.
hundreds of songs.Two, number one's cousin. what is he up to this day that ushers in the year?
11 yrs old. In he comes on New Years Day, bearing his load. What is his load?
Boxes of Lego Creations to show Grandma all the ins and outs, the collapsing stairs & wall, the shooting cannon, etc. Incredible creations from this intelligent mind, this gifted class student, who wants to work for the Lego company when he grows up. G had shared with him long ago, and he remembered, about a man who went to law school, all the while continuing his Lego designing, i.e. "play", took a job with which he was bored, then went to work for the Lego company, and then on into his own lucrative business creating Lego replicatebuildings and such. Must have impressed him. He also came prepared to give Christmas gifts on this Christmas eve makeup time due to snow & ice. Although we ignored the snow/ice, met for dinner & opened a few gifts Christmas Day, He had saved his special gifts which were most impressive of thought:
a) A baseball cap saying "Hawaii" for his uncle was met with great oohs & awws & "best gift" as his uncle was raised in Hawaii. He stood watching the drama responses, like the child in "A Christmas Story", with mouth a bit open that his gift should cause such a stir. b) A Christmas ornament with a 737 airplane on it for his G who had worked on the 737. c) A painting he had made for G's art class given to who else but G. etc.
His dinner plate at first go contained Swedish meat balls and jello covered with whipped cream of which he let loose the pressure with swoops & smile.
