Jeff—Saturday
These past few days, a New Seekers’ lyric from an early
Seventies song of the same name keeps running through my mind: “We’d like to
teach the world to sing in perfect harmony.”
It didn’t happen back then, and I don’t see much of a chance
of it working out any better now. How
wrong were we to think the times they were a-changin’—but that’s a different
tune.
I guess I could wonder what sort of songs the children of
today will find occupying their thoughts when it’s their turn to reflect on the
world they’re passing on. But considering
the state of the planet we seem hell bent driven on leaving to them, I’d prefer
not to face those lyrics.
Instead, I just want to watch my happy, healthy, joyful
(puh, puh, puh) granddaughter celebrate her fourth birthday. She’s surrounded by love and happy thoughts,
safe and secure. And when she sees me pull out my laptop to (try to) write this
Saturday blog, she plops down next to me and says, “When you’re done with your
work, Zayde, I’ll do mine.”
Her patience lasts about a sentence, before I find her
wiggling her butt onto my lap, her fingers onto the keyboard. She bangs away happily, then stops.
“Are you done?” I say.
“No. Just thinking.”
If only more adults would pause for that purpose.
Next, it’s close to bedtime.
She runs off calling out over her shoulder, “You can finish my work,
I’ll be back.”
That’s me, personal secretary to the star.
She returns in princess PJs saying how happy she is I’m still
there. Amazing how someone my size can fit in the palm of a hand so small.
Oh, I forgot about the presents. Some we brought for her from our trip to
Hawaii (for Left Coast Crime), others for her birthday. She calls it a fashion show, praises every
garment, every card, every bit of wrapping, and passes around hugs and kisses.
She makes it a joy for us to be with her.
Doesn’t it make you wonder how we’ll be judged for not doing
whatever we can to make it a joy to be a child?
Here’s a bit of what my granddaughter composed on my
laptop. If it seems a bit hard to
decipher, just view it as symbolic of how our behavior will be viewed by her
generation, and then it may make perfect sense.
MOMMY
DADDY
HHYHYYHHYGTTGTGTRFFRRFRRFREDDEEDEEDEDDEWWSSWSWSSWWSWWYGJJGJJJHMHJJJHNYJNNYJJUGGHUGUHHUGGGGHHJJJNJJJJJJJJJJGJJJGJGJ
God bless the children.
—Jeff
Posts
"God bless the children." That's another song, where's the cover picture?
ReplyDeleteYour grandkids sound remarkably like mine. How can that be?
We need a new Pete Seeger song: Where Do All The Grandkids Go?
Good point on "God bless the children," EvKa, but I decided the only Holiday I wanted to celebrate In this post was my granddaughter's birthday.
DeleteOn your on your other observations, (a) aren't we lucky, and (b) the lyrics to the current Seeger (no misspelling) version of the song title you paraphrase are far too poignant for our times for me to want to contemplate.
While I've liked many of your blog posts, I've gotta tell you, I loved this one!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jackie. It just seemed to flow onto the screen. Not sure I'm the one who wrote it, as much as transcribed it for a higher being.
DeleteAdorable grandchild and story.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me sad that so many millions of children don't have the life she has, but live under war, extreme poverty, are refugees, etc.
May your grandchildren grow to be happy, healthy adults with help from their families.