A Little Something to Chew On. A Note From Jan.

It’s been a good week. Baseball started and the Red Sox won 4 of their first 5 games. Chad’s been away filming a special project for MGH, so Kristina and the two grands moved in so I could help with their schedule. We’ve been enjoying sleepovers and extended time together. The gift of time.

Love being sequestered with Maggie and Kate as I drive them to and from school. The other morning, I said, “You two did a great job of getting dressed and taking care of yourselves so we could leave early.” Kate piped up, “I don’t take care of myself.  I take care of waste.” When Maggie and I finally deciphered the word “waste,” we wondered what Kate meant. As we probed, perturbed Poco (aka Kate) announced with finality, “I don’t like waste. I try to take care of trash. I don’t want us to turn into Boston!”

We muffled a laugh, then figured it was Chad’s doing, since she’d just been to Boston with her Daddy who must’ve commented on the winter’s accumulated trash. Or maybe it was garbage day. Whatever it was, it impressed Kate. Then, out of the blue, she said, “Popo must be the happiest recycle man in heaven.”

We tried to explain that there’s no garbage in heaven.   Frustrated with us, Kate went on to explain, “Popo died.  Then he got recycled.  Now he’s happy in heaven.” Never thought of death and heaven that way! Leave it to a child.

Later that evening, we talked more about Popo, and suddenly Kate looked at me and proclaimed, “Momo, your teeth are yellow.” I hid a smile behind my hands, for obvious reasons, then said,” My teeth have been through a lot…like me. They’ve earned their colors.”

That’s how it goes….one minute we’re talking life and death issues, the next we’re on to my teeth. My grandparents kept their teeth in a glass. Times have changed.

I’ll take yellow over no teeth. And truth-telling, imaginative grandchildren over folks who say what they think you want to hear. Children: walkabout reminders of a God who “Don’t make no junk,” loves to recycle and chooses to enjoy our company with yellow, white or no teeth.  A little something to chew on.