For almost six months of the first year of my first great grandson’s life, I was able to care for him while his mom worked to finish her college degree. The time was spent mostly cuddling with a newborn, changing diapers and making sure he was fed and loved. As days passed into months, I realized that the hitch in my get-along was losing its grip. The babysitting assignment had to be adjusted because an 83 year old woman was getting closer to 84 and many of her body parts were falling apart. I truly am grateful for the short time I’ve had to spend with him. He’s now over 18 months old.

Yesterday, I was able to rerun the experience for half of the day. This little man has developed into a toddler who loves to run, rather than walk. He is a happy child with a permanent smile on his face. He is well loved and cared for on a daily basis by kind caregivers. I rose before the crack of dawn to be certain I would be on time for my morning babysitting assignment of filling in for one of them. I reasoned it would be for a very short time, so took advantage of it. He is a very curious child who loves to play with a mountain of toys. He examines all of them before actually doing so. He seems to be trying to figure out how they work. He’s beginning to say several words. He refers to me as GiGi. Sitting down for a book reading is less than a minute event right now. He’s beginning to work small puzzles. I’m very proud of him and am so happy to be part of his early years.

I went from there to a meeting with my theatre group of actors 55 and older. We’re beginning to facilitate our Jewels of deNial for another year. The meeting was productive. We established work duties for each of us. I will not be performing anymore but will continue to write scripts for the group. As I sat there, looking at my cohorts, there was a feeling of nostalgia and a bit of loss. All of our shows are designed to be old time radio shows, so we have scripts. Actors are all skilled and have years of experience. This was the other end of the spectrum. These people have become close friends who truly care about each other.

Through both of these experiences in one day, I felt completely blessed. I was exhausted by the time I arrived home but also felt invigorated in my brain because of the purpose God had in mind for me yesterday. When we get old, we tend to downplay our usefulness. We can easily fall victims of our aging bodies. Time is not on our side. The months, weeks, days and minutes are so important to our mental and physical health. The minute we stop doing – we stop living. There’s a time for that too. Up until yesterday, I was feeling a bit purposeless. Being exposed to both ends of the circle of life was exactly what I needed.

THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR ANOTHER DAY!

THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR ANOTHER DAY!