REMEMBERING

When I was teaching, I could make the drive to school in fifteen minutes. On this day twenty-five years ago, I stood before my television and watched the first plane hit one of the twin towers. Horrific accident, I thought. As I parked at school, the radio announcer reported the second hit. My heart fell. 

I rushed into the middle school building, (my PreK classroom was housed on the lower level) a few older students in the hall were panicking and shouting that the US was under attack. My efforts to calm them were futile. 

Rushing to my preschoolers, who were unaware of the situation, I made certain they were in good hands with my wonderful assistant Amy.

I felt compelled to do something. Grabbed my scissors and cut red, white and blue construction paper strips, (like we used to make holiday chains), headed to the main school, and without prior approval, I walked into each classroom, introduced myself and told the students that they could each have a strip of paper to write exactly what they were feeling. Stated I didn't want strong profanity, but wouldn't object to mild swearing, and I didn't care about spelling or grammar. 

"You must release your feelings. I am going to roll each strip into a loop and make a bulletin board size American Flag with your words on each strip. Please look for your words when you go into the lunch room, and please do not destroy YOUR display."

I rolled each strip into a loop and stapled them to the large bulletin board: alternated stripes of red and white loops and created a blue area for stars to make a 3-D American flag.

At lunch, students walked in instead of plowing through. They paused to find "their" words, expressions of fear, anger, and worry. They talked to one another. Typically, the lunchroom bulletin board displays in the inner city school were destroyed no sooner than they were decorated. This day the students were reserved and actually interacted respectfully. 

The Feelings Flag remained intact for more than a week, and then one by one the strips began disappearing as the students claimed their feelings. Our lives were forever changed that day. My story, The Feelings Flag, was published in 2016 in Chicken Soup for the Soul, The Spirit of America on page 26.

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Years later we were on a cruise, seated at a dining table with a man named Daniel and his wife Farzana. Daniel's kind expression spoke volumes. His impish smile and greeting were sincere. When he shared his life story, six other tablemates were mesmerized by his voice and story. Both still resonate. This is a tribute to Daniel V.

He worked at the airport Port Authority of New York, and he also was a New Jersey police officer. Now retired.

On 9/11/01, he rushed to the Twin Towers with his partner, and together they climbed many flights of stairs to rescue trapped individuals. His voice cracked as he recalled the details. "Number one rule, never leave your partner." He choked up. "I left my partner. I found an elderly woman on a stairwell and I carried her many flights out of the building before the collaspe. My partner did not make it. Overhwelmed with guilt, I stayed drunk for a year. Then I got sober. My grandmother told me, 'Daniel, think of it as you being someone's angel instead of abandoning your partner. You saved that woman's life.' "

My throat tightens on this day REMEMBERING, remembering, remembering... 

Sometimes you can't believe your own eyes!

This is the rear end of a Jeep. 

 I assume someone's grandma was very busy crocheting this spare tire cover for herself or her grandchild's Jeep. Crocheting is a lost art.

I couldn't believe what we were seeing. It was truly beautiful handiwork, and maybe it will start a fad. Who knows? 

Have you seen anything like it? Would you display it on your car?

Dreaming...goals and aspirations

IKEA is a home furnishing store. The displays are set up to portray home living spaces: kitchens, bedrooms, living rooms etc. The furniture manufacturer is a Swedish company. 

This giagntic store is famous for serving comfort food; especially notable are the Swedish meatballs. 

Granddaughter Ashley, mother to Liam, Alex, and Charlie called and asked me to accompany her and the boys for lunch and to browse.  

Charlie just turned eight, and he waltzed right into a kitchen and selected a skillet with a photo of stir fry in it. He grabbed a spoon, chose a bowl, and began serving his mother. He said, "Wow! I never imagined this place would be so fun. I am a chef."

Alex, nine, spied a computer set up and office area. I heard him say to Charlie, "I would stop fighting with you and even share a virtual reality head set for our video games if we got this furniture. Also I want a new bed. No more bunk beds." They were negotiating ideas for their new "apartment."

Charlie replied, "Yeah, but let's get a real computer. This keyboard is just cardboard."

Liam, forever the dreamer and goal setting kid, said, "I would like this for my apartment when I move out." He stretched out and imagined his life.

 I told him he already has an apartment, his own large bedroom in the lower level of their home, which once was a guest suite complete with kitchen/bath and living area. I suggested he stay at home as long as possible before rushing to move out.

At age 12, he claims he is more than half way to being an adult.

"Yeah, Nana, you're right. I'll probably stay home until I finish school and make my first half a million. I'll stay home until I'm 23 or 26, and then I'll move out. make my next half million." Dream big my great grandson, because you ARE a great kid.

Nothing wrong with dreaming. On the way home, Charlie talked on and on about Ikea.

"This was the most fun day ever! I want to come back and play here."

 And to think, there was no admission fee, and he thought it was a hands-on play place. Doesn't take much when you use your imagination.

When I directed a summer camp years ago, I set up the LARGE public school lunch room into four areas,with four teachers: a home living center, science center for hands on science activities. Another for arts and crafts, and the 4th area was for literacy and story telling/writing and acting out our own plays. (my area.)

The 80 students (4-11 year olds) were divided into four age groups that rotated. The third age group, 8 and 9 year olds enjoyed the home living and  imaginative play area more than the other groups. 

They played dress up and  did problem solving, and really PLAYED. 

 

My theory was that they missed a stage of development because they were forced to sit at desks and do school work when they still needed to move, play, and use their imagination to create.  

History Repeats Itself

 

We babysat great-grandson Jackson overnight last weekend and had so much fun. He loved the swimming pool and dozens of plastic fishies. But what he really liked was...

splashing water on me and making me squeal. I yeled, "No! No! No!" and shook my hair, which made him giggle loud and long. Love those belly laughs.

Jackson is Paw-Paw Bill's buddy,or maybe I should say partner in crime, as Bill egged him on, much to the delight of both of them.

Kyle and Ashley, our first grandchildren are 33 and almost 37. 

Kyle and Abby are Jackson's parents.

Ashley and Justin are Liam's, Alex's, and Charlie's parents. 

We feel so blessed to have been a huge part of their lives and now their childrens'. 

One of Kyle's and Ashley's favorite childhood memories is helping Paw Paw pic tomatoes every summer from the time they could toddle. The torch has been passed.

One year when they were three and seven, Bill had
ankle surgery and could not prepare his garden in spring. Kyle and Ashley asked if they could dig in the dirt, so we gave them each a huge serving spoon and sent them outdoors. 

They came inside and ran back out several times. An hour later they came in beaming, "Come out, PawPaw Bill; we planted your garden for you." They'd discovered a shopping bag filled with artificial flowers that I'd intended to use at preschool for crafts.

We looked out at the backyard plot of barren soil. It looked like a crazy quilt of every variety of fake flowers you can imagine. One of our favorite memories! 

When Ashley saw the picture of  Jackson as the next harvester helping Paw Paw, she texted me. 

"If Kyle did not shed a tear at this picture, tell him I will punch him and MAKE him cry." LOL

Kyle replied, "Tell her to hold off on the punch. I might be a farmer with a tough exterior, but I am not a robot." LOL

Then he sent the most heartfelt and loving thank you for being the best Nana. I told  him we felt blessed to be able to do it all again. I sent pictures of baby Jack looking at his scrap book with me, working puzzles, playing choo-choo with Paw-Paw using the same Fisher Price train he and Ashley played with, and also of Jackson painting with shaving cream on the back storm door window, then handing Paw-Paw a big handful of shaving cream! 

Kyle said, "We are blessed to have you and Gramps. You are the nana every kid wants and deserves. We are so glad you are OURS!" 

Free flowing tears of love and gratitude. No wonder my nose is stuffy.

Shape Up!

 Check it out if you want a chuckle. My latest story is on line and in print in Colorado. 

You can read it at PrairieTimes.com

Click on the current issue and scroll down to page 7. I hope you enjoy reading about my attempt to shape up.

Single, double almost a triple!

 We went to Arby's for lunch. Ordered a market fresh turkey, cheese and bacon on whole grain, with curly fries. Normally my honey and I split. Gone are the days when we could each eat an entire sandwich.

Unwrapped the sandwich and it was a Reuben. Took it back and they said to keep it and eat it. They would prepare our order correctly and bring it to us.

The big guy munched. Half way through, the sandwich preparer, an older woman brought the correct sandwich to our table. As we were finishing up, the counter person, a very polite and friendly older man brought another turkey sandwich and apologized for not getting to us sooner. 

We told him we received our replaced sandwich already. He was ready to say, "Keep it! Eat it!" But he saw me going to protest, and said, "Well okay then. I will take care of it."

I hope he ate it and didn't throw it away. 

Odds and Ends, some more odd than others

 We went to visit baby Jackson yesterday. He is at a darling age, 20 months. His little brain is always going. It is amazing how he can figure things out. 

He said, "Paw Paw" much to Bill's delight. And he giggled when we chased him. He really is a joy and we feel blessed to be able to spend time with him. 

On our way home we stopped at Taco Bell. We were the only eat-in customers. The highschool-age young man and woman gave us our orders, then grabbed electric scooters they had stashed under a booth and LEFT. Customers came in, called for counter service, used the kiosk, but got no reply. Bill and I saw those two kids zooming across the street and riding on a busy parking lot for about ten minutes. Then they returned and said to the waiting customers, "Oh, nobody here? We can help you."

HELLO! 

I am decades past hot flashes, and fortunately, I went through the symptoms in less than six months. But today I was doing a crossword puzzle when I felt as if I was boiling from the inside out. Perspiration dripped from my brow, and then I had a full blown roaster.

My granddaughter texted me, "I just had the worst hot flash of my life. I had to take a shower." 

Enough of these intuned sympathy symptoms!