With flu season rampant in the winter months and Rylyn tiny, we decided to let meeting Great Grandma Anna wait. With Rylyn over the three month hurdle and blossoms on the trees, Mother's Day seemed like prime time. And, it was. Grandma Anna lucidly declared that she was meeting her Great Granddaughter for the first time. Her smiles were larger than when I bring any puppet to visit.
There may be a time when, sadly, Grandma can no longer remember Rylyn. One visit while pregnant with Rylyn, Grandma insisted she would keep "my secret" from the family, not remembering I was married. I felt loved to know she would be in cahoots with "my secret." There could also be a time when Rylyn does not remember Grandma, as our early memories are few. It is important that we teach our heritage to our children. Not just the history, but the love and the people that are a part of it.
I brought Grandma my wedding photos the next visit. She marveled at how she was a part of that day. Rylyn will always have these picture memories below. She will be taught her roots. And to say "pee-rogy" not "per-ogy" just like Great Grandma Anna.
Bible Reflections:
Colossians 2:7 (New Living Translation)
7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
-Rylyn will also be taught that Jesus loves her, so that she has the opportunity and choice to built her life on those roots. The word choice here is honest although not without reservation. Parents hope their children will follow their beliefs. Without choice, you are without love. The second part of the passage is for parents "[their] faith will grow strong in the truth [they] were taught." So too will the faith of a parent grow. Remind me to reread this when Rylyn is a teenager.
