Last week, a near lifelong friend of my daughter’s unexpectedly died. In response to the sad news of Ben’s passing, conversations among friends shifted back and forth from disbelief to sharing happy memories; smiling photos from times past and heartfelt posts popped up on social media and we were witness to emotional hugs, smiles and, yes, some tears at the funeral home. There was a lot of love being remembered among the sadness being shared.
Perhaps it was this event that helped me take notice of two brief interactions with my grandsons on Saturday and then store them in my heart’s memory.
The youngest is fifteen months old. We babysat on Saturday so his Mom and Dad could attend Ben’s memorial service. When this sweet little one woke up from his nap, he and I sat quietly in a chair as he spent just a few minutes in that “not quite fully awake but no longer asleep” state. All he wanted to do was cuddle with his blanket and his grandma. Having just woken up, he was toasty warm and snuggly. He quietly looked up at me, content to just sit on my lap and lay back in my arms.
Later in the day, our almost three year old grandson came over with his Mom and Dad for dinner and football. As his normal bedtime approached, he started to wind down. He wanted to watch TV, which he typically spends a very minimal amount of time doing. I had previously recorded some PBS children’s shows for just such an occasion and we decided to watch an episode of Curious George. Most likely because he was tired and entranced by the show, this darling little boy first stood next to my chair, then climbed up next to me on the chair and then slid over on to my lap. The two of us sat quietly, commenting here and there about George and The Man With The Yellow Hat. It was an uncommon and delightful few minutes.
When we attended visitation hours to offer our sympathies to Ben’s family, we picked up a small pamphlet laying by the condolence book. On the front cover it said, “A good life. A great loss. A love remembered.” It is the spontaneous, brief and tender moments like the ones described above that largely contribute to “A love remembered.”
Don’t wait. Be fully present today. Notice the opportunities in your life to create and share a love remembered.
.
