It was late in the day and my 2-year-old granddaughter had just left after spending the last several days with us. My house bared the markings of her presence in every area. There was everything from Play-Doh to play food, snacks hidden in the strangest places, missing lemons that turned up in my towel drawer, and she even made some new artwork on the wall for me.
As exhausted as I was, I felt a little sad. I always do when she leaves. The house suddenly becomes so quiet. There is no sweet little voice asking me to play, no giggles, no little helper wanting to wash dishes and clean the floors with me, and no little arms reaching up for me to hold.
As I was putting the house back together, I picked up her Minnie Mouse house shoes and began to place them in the closet when I could hear the words my Grandma Tomes used to tell me. "I leave your shoes out while you're gone to remind me that you will be back." I spent many days and nights with her, especially after my Papaw passed away. Grandma's house was always the fun place to be and my cousins and I loved it when our families gathered there. We always asked to stay the night. Grandma taught us how to do so many things, like drawing, painting, crocheting, knitting, sewing and how to play checkers. She made everyday fun. As we got older, we still spent many nights there, but our actual time spent there during the day became less and less. We had after school activities, jobs, and spent more time with our friends.
No matter how little time I was there, she always made sure I knew how thankful she was to have me, and my extra shoes were always kept by the door until she was no longer able to stay in her home.
So tonight, and perhaps every night, I'm leaving the shoes out. I hope my granddaughter always feels as loved by me as I did by my grandma.
Comments