Just Thinking About Grandma

Malia Jane Hanson is my five year-old granddaughter. She was born in Spokane while her parents and big sister were living at our house. So she came home to Grandma's house as a newborn. She was an easy baby. She didn't cry much and she was very content. For the first three months of her life, I held her, cuddled her and rocked her every day, sitting comfortably in my green Grandma Chair, as the kids call it. I talked to her, filled her memory banks (a term created by my mother, Joanne Berentson, and Malia's great-grandmother) and sang sweet little songs to her. Malia from a very early age, sucked her three middle fingers on her right hand. That, perhaps, made her an even more content baby and child. When she was distressed or over stimulated, she always had her fingers...and most of the time her "softy" a silky little small blanket that brings comfort. Every summer, my daughter, Amy and her family come to Washington state from their home in California to stay with us and spend time at Granny's Cabin on beautiful Sacheen Lake. During those times, Malia and Grandma have many times of cuddling and rocking and talking and singing. After one such period of time, summer, as it always does came to an end and the Hanson family had to return to California. When they got to their home in El Cerrito, CA they unpacked the car as families do, got things moved back into the house and settled and after awhile, no one could find Malia. Amy found Malia in her room, her fingers in her mouth and holding her "softy." Amy asked her, "Honey what are you doing in here?" Malia's reply was, "Oh Mom, I'm just sitting here thinking about Grandma." Oh how sweet to love a child so deeply and be loved by that child so deeply that when they are away from you, even though they are still so small, they long for that sweet time shared together. Grandmas can make a big difference in the lives of their grandchildren. God intended that!