Resilience
Recently we had the privilege of hosting our dear grandchildren for a week. Because of COVID and the fact that they live far away, we had not seen them for 18 months. The very first thing we did after getting our second COVID shots was to call our daughter and see if we could bring them here for spring break. Ah, the benefits of vaccination!
Sasha, Jaden, Christina, Ann and Vivi, photo by Nicole Luce
There are so many memories from our recent week together: The joy of watching them play with the young dog they had never met as a puppy. . . their familiarity with rhythms from years past like planting peas . . . the fun of board games on rainy days . . .growing skill at helping in the kitchen . . . and their deepening ability to articulate themselves during morning check-ins.
Photos in collage below
In many ways it was not so different from previous years. Well, Jaden is now old enough to be driving us around! And Sasha is now old enough to sleep in her own bedroom. But the thing that struck me the most about being with them this time is their resilience.
Since COVID cancelled our annual spring break visit in 2020, they have had a year of school entirely on ZOOM. The vast majority of their time has been spent in a two-bedroom apartment or running errands with their dear parents. They have had very limited access to friends. And once our daughter found a new job which took her away from home, the two of them had to learn to take care of each other at a whole other level.
I am so impressed with both of them! What I see is how this past year has matured them—made them stronger and better versions of the selves they have always been. This, of course, is certainly a tribute to the fine job their parents are doing and the closeness of their family unit. But it also speaks to how adversity can grow our souls.
A lot is being written about “the lost year” of COVID for young people. I know there have been huge losses and challenges. But what I see in our grandchildren is strength and resilience. I am defining resilience as an ability to recover and grow from adversity. This is a skill that will stead them well.
None of us knows what the future holds for our beloved children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, family friends, and neighbor kids. We wish we could have a crystal ball that told us what is coming so we could help prepare them to create the world they want. But we don’t. We must simply love, encourage, and support them to the best of our abilities and resources. And then we must step back and trust their incredible youthful spirits.
I trust Sasha and Jaden’s spirits even more after this recent visit. May I have the privilege of being with them for many years to come.
Morning wakeup and conversations
With Jaden as my ally I am SAFE!
Neighborhood work party with Sarah
Jaden at the wheel
Playing at the beach
Wrestling on the floor with Vivi
Ann and Sasha baking
Writing our note in the bottle
Inserting note into the bottle and sealing with beeswax
Football player Jaden getting ready to throw the bottle into the outgoing tide on a very chilly morning
Many games of UNO
Sasha planting peas
Beautiful, Annie.
You’re a lucky woman!
XOXOXOXOXXOXOXO!
Yes, we sure are!
I’m so glad you had such a beautiful time. Such a gift the two of you are to them.
And, of course, they are such a gift to us!
This fills my heart with pure joy. So happy for all of you.
Thank you, Jeanne! Got to get you up here to meet our 5th corgi!
Hi Ann! Going through Helen’s things this year, I have seen the lovely Christmas postcard for each year of their growth. Mom so appreciated that card year to year.
All the best until you see each other once again. Much love,
Bless you on the important journey of remembering. You hold an important piece of family history and to see you honoring it in this way means a lot to me.
So happy for you all. After a year, we had our two granddaughters visit during their Spring break this past week. So grateful for being fully vaccinated and able to reconnect. We had trail walks and our games of UNO, quiddler and favorite card games.♥️♥️
I think many of us grandparents are welcoming spring by reuniting with our grandchildren. Such joy in such a joyous season!
so very, very happy for you – and them – ah resilience!
Appreciate seeing your words, Suzanne.
Lovely post, Ann. So happy for
all of you!! And what a gift those two grandkids are to our world. Brings me
a measure of comfort. 🧡
And well you know the promise and hope of young people, my friend. Your teaching gives you ready access to that—as well, of course, to the inevitable frustrations. Bless your good work in the world!
Thank you for sharing these simple, yet vital and precious moments of connection across generations. This is what life is all about – deep presence to one another, and to the mystery of life …
I imagine Jaden and Sasha will remember these times spent with the two of you as deeply nourishing, grounding, connecting.
Good to hear a friend’s voice from across “the pond”. When I think back to my own yearly rendezvous with grandparents, the memories remain strong more than a half century later. I am so grateful for those memories and know Jaden and Sasha will be, too.
What a lovey sharing and reflection. Yes to resilience…it is this generations digging deep within and finding how to thrive in new ways.
Thank you for sharing this journey in word and in photos.
Ah, my friend, it is so good to hear your voice on this page. Spring blessings to you!
I’m so pleased to see your grandchildren. Resilience is in the air as well as caution. Much love to you all.
Resilience and caution travel hand in hand. Both are important teachers.
This story warms my heart, Ann! The preciousness of it all. I can only imagine what this time held for you and Christina after such a wait. Strength and resilience for all of you – rewarded with the pure joy of being together once again. Gifts of life – that is exactly what this is. It is fun to see how much more grown up they are from the last photos. Jaden with his contagious and beautiful smile and soft spirit and Sasha with her curious eyes, while taking things into thought deeply. May your hearts enjoy the magic of that week for a long long time!
Thank you, Jeanne. Your words capture both children very well.
What a wonderful celebration of spring – the return of the much loved family tradition, the renewal of joy, the witnessing of resilience. So happy you had the opportunity, Ann and Christina. Your joy is palpable on the page!
And your words bring a smile to me on this gorgeous spring morning! Thank you for writing.
Sweet memories that will linger in all your hearts…
Thank you Joann. Good to hear from you!
Thank you for sharing your joy. It is felt strong and clear here in Montana.
Hope Montana is beginning to feel spring!
What fun! I love the note in the bottle! Seeding the prospect of connection and mystery…Thank-you for your posts, I do enjoy them. Green blessings, EagleSong
Green blessings back to you, dear one!
Such a beautiful post! Your grandchildren have such bright spirits that it radiates even from photos. I can’t believe Jayden is driving! That went fast. Beautiful grandmas, beautiful kids, beautiful lives. Thank you for sharing 😊♥️
Yes, life moves fast. We must cherish each day we get. Thank you, Laura, for your always kind comments.
Heart-opening with love…I am fortunate to have 3 ‘grans’ nearby and you have totally captured the kind of connection I stick close by for!
You are a lucky woman . . . and knowing you, so are they!
These photos and captions capture the relationships you have developed over time and which 18 months of no-contact did not diminish. It is so gratifying to see a younger generation which can lead us to a better future!
Thank you, Sandy! It is so good to see a note from a very longtime friend.
I couldn’t agree more about the title of your post. Resilience. I have seen it all around me over the past year: young people, older people and those in the middle. This has been a wonderful time for discovering what we are capable of in uncertain times. You all look so happy and engaged. That’s really what it’s all about, isn’t it ? If we have that, we have everything.
Thank you, Bonnie. Yes, to be engaged is to be alive. I believe it is part of the key to happiness.