Jan. 23: Andrew and I went over to Dad’s house this morning so I could photograph some of Dad’s Christmas displays. This year, he created an enormous gingerbread castle as a surprise Christmas present for Maretta. Pictures from Dad’s displays are in the gallery.
As we started to walk up to the house, Andrew asked me, “Who will be there?” I told him that Grandpa would be there. He said, “And Grandma too?” At that point, a weird flip-flopping thing happened in my heart. Andrew easily points out his Grandma in pictures, and he knows that I miss her, but other than that, he hasn’t ever brought her up.
It made me feel both good and sad that he remembered that this is where she is supposed to be too. So I told him that, no, Grandma isn’t here. “She’s sick,” Andrew said. Yes, I told him, Grandma was sick. And now we miss her. And then I reminded him about the books Grandma liked to read him like Quick as a Cricket and There’s a Train Going By My Window. Then we went inside and he played with his toys like normal. Sometimes the reality of our reality just throws me for a loop!