Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.
H. D. Thoreau from 365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne’s Precepts
Notebook Musings:
Can kindness be taught? How does someone reach out in kindness? We worry so much about impressions. Small talk drives our relationships: How are you doing? We don’t stand still long enough to hear, really hear the answer.
Naomi Shihab Nye wrote, “Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,/ you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.” I believe this, yes. I also believe that if you want a child to be kind, you must practice kindness. I hope my grandchildren learn this from me.
I received two messages yesterday that warmed my heart. My middle daughter wrote, “Thomas said, ‘I love baking with my grandma. Do you know who that is? It’s Mamère!”
The second came from my oldest daughter. “I really want him (her son) to have his own relationship with y’all like I did with my grandparents. Makes life more meaningful for all involved. He is a little secret sweetie.” She texted me that Leo had left his two stuffed animals, Bunny and Bear, at my house. I imagined how sad he was without them in his bed.
Secret
Margaret Simon, daily elfchen
soft stuffy
missing beside boy
catching silent tears of
Loss
I found the stuffies and they are waiting to be returned to their boy.
Reflections on the Teche 
I missed so much never having had grandparents in my life. I live vicariously through you and yours. Your love and their joy in being with you shines through every photo and poem.
Margaret, this post is so full of rich belonging, wrapped in family love. That photo melts my heart and brings tears of joy and sadness all at once for their missing animals. It’s lovely that you should be known as Mamere by all people everywhere in the minds of your little ones. So, so sweet. And teaching kindness…..what a thought! I like to think we can only demonstrate and teach it through experience. I think strongly about the fruits of the spirit on your post. Such a simple thought, yet so profound and ponder-worthy!
Yesterday while talking with my daughter, she was in the playground with her daughter , Kavya. It was a video call. They live in Germany. Kavya is six. She came rushing to talk to me and asked whether I want to meet her friend Elissa. I said yes 🙂 Elissa came and said namaste 🙂 kavya had taught her the word. I felt very happy.
I love that FaceTime gives us the opportunity to relate to far away family.
These are special times to treasure! Childhood speeds by, and we grandparents may get left behind in the dust of school, activities, and friends unless we build the foundation now.
Wonderful advice. I didn’t have boys so this is new territory for me. Hard to relate to dinosaurs and monster trucks. I just put on my hat of curiosity.
Your post and all the comments is helping me learn how to be a grandmother. Thank you.
You
are fortunate
to be grandmother
mother, daughter, sister, friend
all
Your Mamère stories always warm my heart.
I also love your Mamere stories. The grandgirls have my heart as your grandkids have your heart. Kindness is an important part of growing up wisdom that we want to impart to our little grands. My oldest (6) had her Mommy call me tonight. A first! She invited me to her class’ Poetry Cafe where she will read her poem out loud. I can hardly wait.
Carol, I look forward to that day, the invitation to the school performance. Leo goes to a French immersion school, so he is learning French but at this point is shy about speaking it. I hope you will write about her reading.
Margaret, by reading your blog, postcards, seeing your photos, and sometimes reading your posts on Facebook, I know you practice kindness and I know your grandchildren learn kindness from you. I love your elfchen, especially the lines catching silent tears of loss. The photo is adorable as are your grandchildren Leo, Thomas, and your Junebug. Great post full of love.
Oh, Margaret, how very sweet. Thomas and Leo are so blessed to have you–and like your daughter said, relationships with grandparents does make life more meaningful. I love the personification of Bunny and Bear in your elfchen. And I love what Thomas said, “…Do you know who that is? It’s Mamère.” That is just so sweet when kids make connections, learn new things, and teach others. It’s just such a precious conversation he had with his mom.