Special Relationships
Have you ever been faced with an unfamiliar situation? Have you handled that situation well? Did you learn something about yourself as a result of that situation?
My sister was an unusual situation for my family, particularly my grandparents. They were late to the marriage game, late for having their own children and were older than average when the grandchildren began to appear. Grandpa was a cabinet maker who was born in 1907. Grandma was a teacher who was born in 1911. Our grandparents had their good traits and they had their challenging traits. They were demanding parents, of that I'm sure, but pretty openly loving grandparents.
While it was obvious from the beginning that something was different with Lyn, I'm not sure at what point it was obvious to them. What I do know is that they loved her from the start. They decided to accept her and work with her. They decided to support her efforts at Special Olympics and even came to some of her early competitions to cheer her on. In short, they decided to face the unusual situation of Lyn and do what they could for her.
In 1971, when Lyn was just 5 1/2 months old, she and the rest of the immediate family returned from Italy for a visit. It was her first trip to the U.S. Lyn was too young to crawl. So she rolled. No matter where she started from, she ended up at Grandpa's feet. He was thrilled!
Grandpa was not known for getting down and playing with children. In fact, Mom cannot remember a single incident of him playing on the floor prior to this visit. He was playing trucks with our brother when Lyn rolled over to get in on the fun.
When I look at the above pictures, I can just hear his voice, quiet and steady, as he would say "Yes? Uh huh... Yes..." It did not matter the baby, the time or the situation, if he was talking to a baby, the majority of the conversation would consist of "Yes? Uh huh... Yes..." It was a soothing conversation, one-sided, repetitive, but very soothing.
My sister was an unusual situation for my family, particularly my grandparents. They were late to the marriage game, late for having their own children and were older than average when the grandchildren began to appear. Grandpa was a cabinet maker who was born in 1907. Grandma was a teacher who was born in 1911. Our grandparents had their good traits and they had their challenging traits. They were demanding parents, of that I'm sure, but pretty openly loving grandparents.
While it was obvious from the beginning that something was different with Lyn, I'm not sure at what point it was obvious to them. What I do know is that they loved her from the start. They decided to accept her and work with her. They decided to support her efforts at Special Olympics and even came to some of her early competitions to cheer her on. In short, they decided to face the unusual situation of Lyn and do what they could for her.
In 1971, when Lyn was just 5 1/2 months old, she and the rest of the immediate family returned from Italy for a visit. It was her first trip to the U.S. Lyn was too young to crawl. So she rolled. No matter where she started from, she ended up at Grandpa's feet. He was thrilled!
When I look at the above pictures, I can just hear his voice, quiet and steady, as he would say "Yes? Uh huh... Yes..." It did not matter the baby, the time or the situation, if he was talking to a baby, the majority of the conversation would consist of "Yes? Uh huh... Yes..." It was a soothing conversation, one-sided, repetitive, but very soothing.
Beautiful! And, that big bald head looks so familiar...like a very tall grandchild of his..hmm :-) God bless you all. Love you too!
ReplyDelete