Legacies

This is a special week for our family... for dusting off memories and watching new ones take shape. As I have mentioned in earlier posts, our grandson, Kaleb, is with us for 3 weeks... and are we relishing every minute. At 6 1/2, he's a joy in so many ways, and even his occasional childish snits (is that a word?) and how we deal with them are gently woven into the fabric of relationship.

I talked with Pete Dunn at church Sunday, and he said, "I love being a grandpa. There are so many things I want to teach my grandson. He's only 4 now, so some things have to wait a couple of years, but I love being a grandpa!" One of the things Pete mentioned was lizard catching... I'm pretty sure nobody taught me the finer points of catching those quick little reptiles, but that is definitely part of the legacy Pete will hand down. I'm trying to teach Kaleb to read in character voices..."Use your normal voice, Papa!"

Perhaps more than anything, I think grandparents treasure the moments when they begin to see positive character qualities... like kindness and honesty and caring for the feelings of others... emerge in the tapestry of a grandchild's personality. Those moments are truly special... along with weird voices and catching lizards. You begin to see that your kids are doing a great job at the loom of parenthood... and you want to believe that as grandparents we've contributed a stitch or two.

But this week is special for at least 2 other reasons. Virginia's mom, Ruby Bean, is with us this week before heading on to Dallas to visit kids there and finally back to her assisted living facility in Nashville. Having her here reminds me of the many times I was in her kitchen as a kid or singing with the youth group in the "big room" at the back of her house in Oxnard. It's also been special watching her tell her wonderful corny jolks to Kaleb and listen to him laugh as he hears them with fresh ears.

My mom, Ruby Fern Johnson (yes, both moms are "gems"), is not with us this week, but she is in our hearts in a special way because she turns 87 on the 21st. She still lives by herself, drives, cooks wonderfully, and visits a friend in the nursing home every Sunday. She is without a doubt one of the strongest people I have ever known, and I just pray that a measure of her tenacity has found its way into the cloth of my life. Come to think of it, it may have skipped a generation, because my daughter inherited more than her share.

Legacies... we seem to leave them in one form or another... whether we want to or not. When I turn to look at those who have shaped me, I am thankful. When I turn back to look at those who are earlier in their journey... I am hopeful.