Defining Moments

I think we sometimes have defining moments in our lives. I had one of those on Sunday night. Now what I mean by "defining moments" are those seconds, or minutes, that make us realize how important someone is to us. Let me explain. Levi, being the non-stop ball of energy that most 18 month old little boys are, was in the foyer playing with some of the older kids at church. Most of the adults were in the fellowship hall celebrating a birthday, eating and talking. Toward the end of the evening Jasmine came into the fellowship hall carrying Levi. She said, "He fell". Well nobody got too upset because he wasn't crying and there was no blood. As Kim took him into her arms she immediately turned and looked at me and said- "Mom!" in that tone that I knew there was something that she thought I could fix (that has been one of my biggest faults- I have tried to always fix things for the kids). Well not only was Levi not crying or bleeding, he did not seem to be breathing. You know how kids get hurt and cry and hold their breath for a long time- well this was like that only he was obviously almost out of it. For a brief moment we thought he was starting to have a seizure and then he finally began to cry. Well the cry lasted about 20 seconds and then he laid his head over on Kim and tried to go to sleep (something he never does.) Anyway, we would not let him go to sleep and Amy the nurse seemed to think he had got the wind knocked out of his sails so we pacified him by taking him outside where he proceeded to run around and act normal- quite the scare. This was my "defining moment" with Levi. Now don't think that for 18 months that I have not loved him, but this was the moment that I knew how much Levi really means to me. My "defining moment" with Addi came much sooner- at her birth. Because of the traumatic circumstances surrounding her arrival, and because of the uncertainty of what to expect, when I saw her alive and healthy, I knew just what she meant to me. I am certain that I will probably have a "defining moment" with Hannah, as well. I know I had one with all of my own kids- Kim, when she received a concussion at the age of 2, and Josh when he almost choked to death on Goldfish crackers, and Daniel when he and Josh took their "infamous" drive in PaPa's car up the guide wire of the power pole. Hannah, just let your defining moment be when you say "Granna" for the first time- that will be exciting enough for this grandmother.

Where Oh Where Has My Summer Gone?

It has dawned on me that Summer vacation is about to be over for those of us in the field of education. Who said that teachers get a 3 month vacation- you can wipe out August because most of us return to work the first part of the second week. I have had a Summer of workshops, conferences, and Building Leadership Team meetings. There have been few days when I did not have something to do or somewhere to go. I scheduled my doctor, dentist, and eye appointments for Summer so that cut into the time even more. I am thankful for my job and I do realize that I have more "off" time than many so for that I am thankful.
I monitored my friend's comprehensive exam today. I am glad it was her and not me when I saw the questions. I thought they were hard. I think she did okay although we started off shaky when we realized that the University of West Alabama had sent me a copy of the exam for Counselors and not Library Media students. After some panic I managed to reach the Dean of the School of Education and he immediately sent the right questions. Life is funny because I met this girl when her daughter and Kim started Kindergarten. We lost touch some years later although she worked for the same system. We "reconnected" last year and I actually supervised her Library Internship for the University of West Alabama. Sometimes I think life does go in a circle and it pays to be kind to people- you never know when they will show up in your life, again!

Don't you love the title?

The nature of man is to follow the crowd- so here I am. I don't have time for this nonsense, and I am certainly, without a doubt, not a gifted writer, but, not wanting to be considered as out-dated- I have joined the blogging world. Choosing my title was the only easy part of this decision. Thankfully the names Hannah and Granna are lyrical and have a bit of a rhyme- I think that added to my title, don't you? Now what will I write about- probably not much except Addi, Levi, and Hannah. How can one love grandchildren so much? I always thought grandparents were somewhat obnoxious- until 3 and 1/2 years ago. So I guess this will be an obnoxious grandparent's blog.