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Looking at life through a child’s eyes is eye opening

Aren’t children a wonderful source for laughter? I always looked forward to the Art Linkletter show. I found some things I had written about my oldest granddaughter, Charlene.

Rusty and his family came to visit us from Florida when Charlene had first started walking. We had a step between the kitchen and the living room. She got as far as the step and was afraid to step over it. At that age, the step was like a cliff. She stood there awhile and then got down on her stomach and extended her foot out until she had passed the step and them straightened up.

I thought, “This little girl is going to face her problems and solve them!”

When Charlene started to talk, she had trouble with the “th” sound. She would say, “Gramma, I’m firsty.”

I tried to get her to say “thirsty” and showed her the tongue placement to make the sound. She tried, without success, several times. Finally she said, “I want a drink.”

That’s my girl!

One day she found a picture of my brother Roddy, his wife Ann and her mother. Charlene identified my brother and his wife and then she got stuck on the third picture. She overcame that problem by saying, “Oh look, they’re all there!”

One Sunday when Charlene was four years old, I was trying to teach her to share. She said, “Not until my feet touch the floor.”

I replied, “You’re standing on your feet now. They are touching the floor.”

“No, no,” she said. “I mean when I’m sitting down.”

I guess she thought only big people should share.

I took her to a wake in Forestville. When we got back home, she said to her mother, “A man was sleeping and everybody was looking at him. His mouth was funny.”

Now this little girl has a family of her own. The beautiful blond boy on the cover of my book, “Life is Sugar and Vinegar” is her son Liam. His father, Charles, contributed, too. I miss them like crazy, but I’m so proud of them! I’m sure Rusty would be proud too!

I forgot the most unusual part of Charlene’s birth. It was on a Saturday morning, May 25, 1974. I was working in the beauty shop when Rusty called. “Congratulations, gramma. We have a baby girl.”

The doctor had predicted a boy. Then Rusty went on to tell me they almost didn’t make it. Charlene was born in the parking lot of Miami Hospital.

Rusty said, “Oh, mom. All of a sudden there was this little person in my hands.”

When he said “person” a new life had arrived and I burst out crying. On Charlene’s birth certificate is written, “Delivered by — daddy.”

I know this is a personal story, but it is not the norm. Later Rusty gave us Lori, who has her own adventures to talk about. Then after Rusty passed away and Barb and Tom married, they gave me Luke, Charity and Katie. I call Tom my “son-in-love” and he calls me his “mother-in-love.” And all the children call me gramma.

The Lord closes one door and opens a door for new people to come in.

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