Grandchildren + Spontaneity = A Pot of Gold

I was looking forward to sleeping a bit later this morning… but a 7:30 am phone call changed that. My husband answered the phone and then sat right up in bed; you know, the kind of “sitting up fast” that makes you shudder with the news on the other end. It was about Dylan, our 6 1/2 month-old littlest grandchild. It seems he had rolled over, begun to cry… and the crying went on long enough to warrant a phone call to his pediatrician. The pediatrician recommended taking *Dylan to our local children’s hospital immediately.

The phone call was our son asking if we could watch Maddie (7) and Jake (4). Our home is on the way to the hospital… and they could be here in minutes.

I jumped out of bed, changed, washed my face and brushed my teeth in record time. But what I did not have time to do was take care of my bangs. And believe me, my bangs need morning care. (I have worn bangs… well, my whole life. I am rarely seen without bangs. Just a girl thing.) To look even a bit presentable, I took a small hair comb and pulled and attached my bangs back with it… just in time for the knock on our door.

As soon as I saw Maddie, I noticed her new haircut. She had a few inches cut from her long hair, and a small section of the front was pulled back into two tiny bands. It looked beautiful and I told her so. And the first thing she said was, “I got it cut yesterday. I love it.” Then she looked at my hair and said, “My hair looks like yours!”

And it did. Except she had looked beyond my morning bangs blunder to see something lovely. Ah… grandchildren. They are put on this earth to make us feel perfect!

As we waited for hospital updates, my husband and I made waffles and bacon and pancakes. We cut grapefruit and poured cup after cup of lemonade. Grandpa and Jake and Maddie drew “treasure maps” and we searched the house for these treasures.

We shoveled all the leftover ice from our back deck. We played Webkinz… and on Quizzy’s Corner is where the kids discovered a new word: indigo. We were ready to head out to our little town recreation center, with the sledding hills… but it began to pour. So instead, Jake wanted to watch a movie and Maddie wanted to write and illustrate a story. Maddie loves writing and illustrating. We sat at my kitchen table and she took notes on her characters, setting, conflict… and that’s when it stopped raining and the sun came out. I said, “Maddie, maybe we’ll see a rainbow. Rainbows have the color indigo.” At that very moment, a magnificent rainbow appeared in the northern sky. We ran outside to catch a photo before the rainbow, as rainbows do, faded to another part of the universe. We caught it! The rainbow and the color indigo.

As the rainbow floated away, we returned to Maddie’s story. She decided that the word indigo had special meaning today… and she titled her story, **Is Indigo A Color? We sat at my computer as the characters, the words, the conflict began to pour from her beautiful mind… and I typed, trying to keep up with her creativity and talent. Her story. Her characters. Her words. Her rainbow. Her indigo. Her voice.

And for me? My story, my characters, my words, my voice are all wrapped up in gold… POTS OF GOLD. My grandchildren. Each day is a rainbow of colors. Days like today… when ordinary becomes extraordinary! Oh. And sleep?  Who needs it!

(*Dylan had flipped over so quickly that he had slightly dislocated his elbow… it’s popped back in and all is well, thank God.)

(**Is Indigo A Color? is a work in progress… involving a set of twins who argue over the existence of the word indigo, an art museum and a rainbow. We are planning “writing times”!)

About Audrey

Audrey McClelland has been a digital influencer since 2005. She’s a mom of 5 and shares tips on her three favorite things: parenting, fashion and beauty. She’s also a Contemporary Romance Author.

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7 Comments

  1. 2.8.09

    What an exciting morning you had! I love the title! So true! Your breakfast sounded yummy. That is so neat how that rainbow just appeared at the right time. Your Maddie sounds like she might just follow in her grandma’s footsteps and be an excellent writer. I am glad Dylan will be fine and that is a crazy thing to happen. Oh, and I love bangs!

  2. 2.8.09
    Nik said:

    What a great story…and PICS too!! Maddie’s hair does look adorable!!

  3. 2.9.09

    I’m so glad Dylan is okay and that you had such a lovely day with the older kids. It’s always a good day when the grandkids come over.

  4. 2.9.09
    Chrissy said:

    What an incredible day! How lucky you saw the rainbow – and got a picture. And Maddie sounds very talented. Clearly great writers run in the family. 🙂

  5. 2.9.09

    I just looked at this again and saw pictures. When I first read it yesterday the pictures didn’t come up. Great pictures. You look amazing for just getting up with a bangs thing…

  6. 2.9.09
    Lisa said:

    You are the most awesome grandparents ever!

  7. 2.9.09
    Christy said:

    Sharon you are a fantastic Grandparent! The kind of Grandma that every child deserves and dreams of. I hope that I can do as well as you someday!!

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