Babies, puppies, sunny days...these are a few items on the small list of things that seem to be able to bring joy to everyone. There is a lot of illness in my family right now. I have the great privilege of being able to stay home with Dean. This is a privilege that I do not take lightly. This privilege is not just about being with Dean all day, but that I have the freedom to visit with people, be involved in various groups and activities, and to travel.
Dean is a baby (well, a little boy now), putting him on that short list. He has the amazing gift of bringing unbridled joy to others. I have taken him to Annapolis 3 or 4 times now where my grandparents live. My grandmother, my Mumu, is sick. She has lived a beautiful, vibrant life full of happiness and adventure. I say "has" only because the present isn't always as beautiful or full of happiness. Her sickness can be all too prevalent at times. But, when she is around Dean it is like she is 30 years younger: her face lights up, her eyes grow wide, she has renewed energy even a spring in her step, and she is Mumu again. She picks Dean up, whirls him around the room, touching everything and talking to him in her special Mumu-way. He looks back at her adoringly and smiles a toothless grin, reaching out to touch her face. It's beautiful. He instantly brings joy to my Mumu. My dad has stated beautifully, that although these precious moments will not be clear memories for Mumu (part of her sickness is memory impairment), but they will be crystal clear moments for me and for my father. Moments when we can see Mumu humming and baking in the kitchen, when the vision of her preparing lunch on the sail boat is as if it were yesterday, and when we can smell her signature rose perfume and see her signature "sandy" hair.
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