I start today with the current center of our Universe: Caleb James Garcia. He was about 21 months old when we had the "official" Christmas at our Florida home. He is enamored of animals--especially any he can hold or touch. Even though he is still very young, he is able to intuit how and when to interact with our two cats.
 |
| Caleb, being cool while opening presets, Christmas 2016. |
He approaches one of them when they are laying down on the arm or back of a family room chair and begins to croon "soff, soff, soff" until he has gotten close to Valley or Gypsy. Then he lays his head gently on her side--as if her were trying to hear her heartbeat. He then smiles blissfully: "Caaa." After a moment or two communing with the cat and the world around the both of them, he pick up his head and begins to touch Valley or Gypsy on the top of her head. This time his soft, sing-song voice starts: "Pat, pat, pat." After a few more moments, he turns away and hops off to do a puzzle or read a book with mom, dad, Papa (Brent)--or he will return to me with one of his plastic animals he wants to discuss.
Caleb is amazing at finding ways to interact with all of us. He will stand in front of his mother, who is sitting on the couch looking for new ideas of things to make for Caleb or make for him to learn. He will fix her with his eyes, as soon as she looks up, he will begin opening and closing his fingers ("popping popcorn") and hopping up and down. She will ask, "Do you want to sing the Popcorn Song?" "Yes! Yes!" he replies. From there they sing songs that he knows from Library Story Time, Nursery, and from Lauren. They go through each one multiple times. "Ninn! Ninn!" (Again! Again!) is his chant when he wants to repeat something.
Right now, Caleb and Robert are playing together--Robert watching while Caleb practices making baskets with any of his two dozen different balls. When Brent gets home tonight, Caleb will follow him into our bedroom while he changes into comfortable clothes. Then he will patiently trail him until Brent sits down in "Grandpa's Chair." At that point, Caleb throws himself into Brent's arms and the two of them giggle and laugh together. The wonderful thing is that, while Caleb is choosy about when and with whom he cuddles--after their play together, Caleb will settle down into the crook of Brent's right arm and lay his head on Brent's chest . . . a testament to the sweet bond between them.
To him, I am Nana or Ga'ma. Different enough to allow Lauren the luxury of knowing that she has whole claim to "Momma." In a land where she has to share just about everything in this house with everyone else, it is nice to have something that is hers alone.
While Robert has been in firefighter, and EMT training, their little family has been relegated to the guest apartment on the other side of the pool. They spend their days--when they are not gone--in the "big" house with Brent, Nathan and me. She has been doing the cooking for us almost every night. They both clean the floors and bathrooms once a week for me. For a time it was their only income--and I know that it must have been hard for them. It was hard for me when we lived with my parents the summer between graduating from BYU and starting Drake University.
 |
| Lauren and Robert--Don't know what La is looking at, but apparently she is pleased. |
 |
| Brent showing off Lauren's artwork. |
 |
| Me--one of the few good photos of me I have from 2016. Fitting it should have been taken on Christmas Day. |
 |
| Nathan--the ever-present, ever-patient, cat-charmer. |
It is now the last day of January 2017. Lauren just put away the last of the Christmas decoration a few days ago. Sad that I do not get "into the Spirit" of the Season by putting up fake evergreen boughs and having Nathan put the Lego train around the bottom of a tall, REAL Christmas tree--Lauren makes up for my disinterest.
Truth be told--it is good to have someone in the house who actually CELEBRATES each of the traditional seasons by changing the way things look around the house. I am just too distracted to want to keep up with the constant change.
I have come to the conclusion that energy--desire to struggle forward--is also allotted to each of us. Unlike time, which seems to have ben given to each of us in equal amounts, the spark that drives mortals to become MORE, BETTER is a fixed number of tablespoons that spreads itself like peanut butter over a piece of bread. Some get a generous portion, others, not so much. It is difficult for some to look around them and wonder why they do not find joy in every hour when those closest to them admit freely that they feel as though they abound in it.
The inequity is easy to philosophize about to myself--harder to comfort some around me who I love dearly, but find joy and happiness, at least right now, in short supply.
Merry Christmas 2016!
always care
