Birthday thoughts for my Grandkids in 2022.
Here is what comes to mind when I think of you, my sweet Grandchildren.
- You are smart.
- I am engaged when we talk.
- You are fun.
- I love watching you dance!
- You make me laugh.
- You tell funny jokes.
- I am proud of you.
- You rise in the face of challenge.
- You are amazing young adults.
- You are creative.
- You tell great stories
- You make me happy.
Never forget that I love you..I hope you believe in yourself as much as I do.
Now I am attempting a message for each one of you. Even though these next paragraphs are separate they do in a small way apply to all 3 of you. The order on which your birthday falls on the calendar in the order below.
Trystan
Where do I begin I have witnessed you grow into an amazing young person full of energy and enthusiasm. I know you still have more growing and learning on your horizon but I am astonished at how much you have already learned. It seems like I can have a conversation with you about anything.
When I was 12 years old I pretty much just rode my bicycle on the trail through the woods behind the house where I lived.. I didn’t have a care in the world. You on the other hand seemed focused on many things.
You are a thinker and I admire you for having a grasp on so many things, such as creating incredible Minecraft to intriguing pour paint interpretations to the 3Rs: reading, writing, and arithmetic. And now you are participating in the color guard. Your Poppy, that’s me, is very proud of you.
I was the older brother to my younger brother so I can’t imagine what it’s like to be in the middle of 2 sisters! I hope they are good role models for you and don’t detract from your delve into your femininity.
I wish someone your age did not have to concern themselves with what gender they may or may not be.. Or if there is even such a thing as gender. But here we are and apparently, independently a boy can be born into a girl’s body and vice versa.
I think you know I love you regardless of any type of orientation be it gender, race, religion, or whatever. Guess that’s how we should all treat each other.
I really look forward to seeing you again to share more adventures. Your energy and enthusiasm for life inspire me! Love Poppy
Lexi
On the day you were born I was pacing around the office where I worked, like a caged lion. I was so nervous all I could think about was my firstborn giving birth to her firstborn!
The girls in my office finally told me, Doug, go to your daughter and see your new grandchild. And so I left work and went straight to the hospital where I saw you being born. Oh my God, it was such an incredibly joyful feeling to welcome you into our lives.
I got to see you a lot because at some point you lived with me and Nana. We played together and had a lot of fun. You know I am just a big kid at heart. I especially liked reading the stories you’ve written. You have a marvelous gift for writing.
I have seen you face many challenges with positivity and confidence. I am so proud of you for putting your best foot forward on issues that no one should have to deal with. Especially someone your age. You didn’t have a choice in juggling two families and it must not be easy. I don’t know if you would ever have wanted to talk about it but I never asked either. I’m sorry for that. If you do ever want to talk I would be happy to listen.
It turns out you are not alone with your diabetes. I can’t express how proud I am of you that you were able to learn all about this disease and to be able to take care of yourself. This is such a tremendous responsibility and to see you step up and deal with it at such a young age is profoundly amazing to me. I love you so much.
I am happy you were in school plays and I got to see you. Now you are in the color guard and I think that is cool. I was impressed with this year’s theme and I’m happy you invited me and Nana to the friends and family show. Aside from the flag-waving, my favorite thing was the xylophones.
Now I can’t believe how fast you’ve grown you’re a Freshman in high school! I remember the 9th grade being filled with lots of new experiences. New friends, new teachers, new classes this is truly the 1st step to young adulthood for you and actually all 9th graders. I am so happy for you but remember there is probably more work ahead, you know, homework?
Lexi, I have faith in you and I wish you to embrace all of your new experiences with an open mind and positive attitude and draw strength in knowing so many of us to have your back. Love, Poppy
Isa
When I think of you, pictures appear in my mind of the fun we have had, singing, dancing and going for walks. I also think about how knowledgeable you are in so many areas.
Remember we went to the recreation center to play a game of billiards? You impress me so much with how fast you pick up anything I try to show you from balancing the pool stick to aiming. Then we sat at the poker table and played a hand of cards. I knew you had a little experience from playing with your sister and your ability to learn again really impress me. People much older than you have trouble learning about which is a winning poker hand from straights to full houses to flushes. I was shocked when you beat my full house with your 4-of-a-kind!
Well played, pa-pa-pa-poker face!
I am enamored with your level of creativity when you are designing outfits and makeup options for yourself or the people on your tablet. And I love the characters you made for your family members and friends -even me! It is surprising sometimes just how transformative your makeup is. You even make me look good!
When I see you wear makeup it scares me a little because it makes you look older and it reminds me of the passage of time. Sometimes when people mature they lose their youthful spirit and I pray you’re able to keep yours because it’s delightful. I know this is challenging sometimes because growing older means added responsibilities… like getting school work done.
Yes, schoolwork can be blah and monotonous (only because you are so smart) but making the grade leads to being able to help others. I felt you were sincere when you expressed interest to be a counselor or mental health specialist. I do believe you like to help people. One thing I know is how much you help me. You always ask me if I need help whenever I need it and without hesitation, you are there for me. I love that about you.
This caring side of you is another reason I think you would be wonderfully successful as a mental health specialist but anyway back to me I was telling you what a terrific granddaughter you are and thank you for always helping me when I need it.
Isa, you help me mentally and spiritually too because you bring me joy. I hope we have more time together to talk and share our thoughts. It’s fun challenging your thinking and you also make me think about things differently too.
You and your siblings make me very happy when we are together. Never forget that I love you and I hope you believe in yourself as much as I do. Love, Poppy
Extra Credit
