Before you even think it, I'm well aware that my previous entry was about the lesson I learned from the lyrics of a song from the Disney movie Frozen and that the title of this post is also the title of a song from the same movie. I may be old, but I haven't quite lost all my marbles just yet. I have, however, heard my sweet granddaughter C.J. belting out the words to both of those songs several times each day for the last eight days, and I did watch the movie with her (and maybe a few YouTube clips, too), so that's why I've got Frozen and its music stuck inside my brain. And because I'm in Canada ... everyone knows Canada and Frozen just seem to go together ... duh.
I got an email from someone yesterday asking me why I haven't blogged on this trip to Canada like I did during my two previous visits, and I couldn't help but chuckle when I read it. Obviously, the person who wrote to ask me about my lack of blogging over the last eight days has completely forgotten what life in a house with a toddler and 10-week-old baby is like ... busy, busy, busy. As I've helped my son and daughter-in-law feed and bathe and rock and jostle and read to and play with and entertain my two granddaughters since I've been here, I've found myself wondering how in the world I ever managed to take care of my three kiddos on my own. I think perhaps that the parenting of young children is proof that God gives us the strength we need at exactly the time we need it, eh? I've had a ton of "for the first time in forever" moments since I've been here in Canada visiting Matt, Becca, Coraline and Amelie ... moments I can only hope I will remember for as long as I live. But today two of those moments brought memories crashing into my mind and tears welling up in my eyes ... one moment with Coraline and one with Amelie.
Following a morning of train rides and visiting Matt at the university, reading Little Red Riding Hood and taking a long nap (Boo, not me!), Coraline and I went for a chilly late afternoon walk so we could meet Matt as he rode his bike home from work. My eldest granddaughter is absolutely adorable as she pushes her doll stroller down the sidewalk ... the doll stroller which today carried Gigi the stuffed dalmatian I gave her when I arrived. As we walked along, I said, "Boo, I'm sure going to miss you when I have to go back to my house on Saturday." Coraline abruptly stopped pushing the doll stroller to turn and gaze up at me with those piercing blue eyes of hers and said, "I will miss you, Ghee. I not want you to go to your house. I want you to stay wif Boo."
Sweet baby Amelie is having some stomach problems, and I've spent a significant amount of time over the last few days rocking, singing, swaying and/or jiggling her ... basically anything it takes to soothe her. This evening she was especially fussy, and I walked back and forth through the house singing to her while I patted her rear. I didn't dare move her when she finally fell asleep on my shoulder, and I'm not sure exactly how long I held her. As I walked and patted and sang and walked and patted and sang and walked and patted and sang, I breathed in the scent of her baby hair and marveled at the perfection of her tiny face.
For the first time in forever ... when Boo told me today she would miss me, I understood how difficult it was for my mom to live so far away from my children. For the first time in forever ... I understood how tough it was for my kiddos to be separated by so many miles from my mom. For the first time in forever ... as I patted little Amelie's rear and sang to her, I understood that the countless nights I reached over the crib rail to pat her dad's rear so many years ago was unconditional love in its purest human form. For the first time in forever.
For the first time in forever ... don't waste a single moment, friends ... don't waste a single moment.
"For the first time in forever, there'll be magic, there'll be fun."
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