He Called Me a “Bad Example” — So I Gave My Grandchild’s Gifts to Someone Else

Just peace.

And me?

I am very lucky to have a granddaughter named Ava. While Claire is asleep, I stroke my grandson. His fragrance brings out ideas of soap, sleep and another emotion more tender than forgiveness.

I bump and sing to him in the very chair where I once rocked her. That same glider that has sat beside us for while watching over us in sickness and in health.

Sometimes I notice him curling his hand around mine while he rests. Like he is already certain that he is in a safe place. Even if I was away during the delivery, it almost seems as if my son still recognizes me since birth.

When I gaze at him, I tell him what is going on privately.

She was always here for you, working hard for you. However, I hope one day you see what this is about. No, the finest example I ever set for your mama wasn’t perfection. It meant figuring out how to make love last while you held on to it.