My oldest
granddaughter spent the afternoon with me this week. There are so many aspects
of a visit with Sydney that are sweet and inspiring; it’s hard to list them.
She has a beautiful heart. Her personality reveals loyalty to family and
friends. Yes, she teaches me.
She exhibits
a pure respect for older generations. Just sitting with her opens up my heart, and
I feel I can connect with her on any topic. On this visit I shared some photos,
charts and audio recordings about my maternal family tree. I tried to glean
historical living conditions from the information I’ve gathered. Looking at
photos of great-great-great- grandparents who bore eleven children, only to
lose five in death, brings a sad reality to their life story. Simultaneously, we
revere our family chains of the past.Sydney’s Great-great Aunt Betty recently provided us with an audio account of the crowded housing conditions during the depression. Since Syd’s great-great grandfather was laid off from his job and lost the family car, he was forced to move his wife and children into the home of his in-laws. Aunt Betty recalls ‘not even knowing they were poor or in need.’ Obviously her outlook at the time was due to wise parenting. Her memory recollects calm living conditions with cooperative adults setting the tone.
Sydney and I
prepared a delicious ham and white bean soup for dinner. The dinner rolls were
a complete different story. I don’t know what I did wrong. I think I added too
much flour, and the wheat/white flour portions were probably wrong. Oh well –
next time, maybe.
I’m hoping
my granddaughter enjoyed the day as much as I did. Windows into the past offer a
wealth of insight. But for me, undoubtedly, the most special aspect of my
afternoon was just ‘being with Sydney.’ 
