A Snowy Weekend in October.

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Snow in October is not that unusual. I've been around over 50 winters now, and October is often the first month of snow. I can even remember some winters begining as early as September. I remember winters of heavy snow and high drifts but those mememories seem so long ago. Even more than 20 years ago, our snows weren't heavy enough to sled in our yard with out the aide of the white truck. I can still remember sitting in what we used as the dining room back then, and watching Ron pull Shelby and G.C. on sleds. Round sleds worked the best and if they could keep Sheena, the Rott, from dragging them off the sled...presumably away from danger, they could get a good whip going. Maybe, Sheena was on to something, because I would hold my breath, as they'd whip around and say a quick prayer that they wouldn't whip all the way around in front of the truck. God seem to put upon Ron's heart the wisdom and judgement of turning at the right moment and keeping all the fun safe, but for me...nail biting half the time and laughing the other half when Sheena, who after she had pulled kids off the sled, would run, jump and usually fall on the now empty sled, thus riding it back to start. I might have to dig through the VHS video archives for some of those sledding moments.

The snow that fell this weekend, early October, was over 12", 15" in some places and drifts of over 2 ft. Seems to me I've heard ski reports refer to powder snow. Well, this was a light, fluffy, powder like snow. Cold and blowing most of night to reveal in the first light a thick blanket of snow like we haven't seen in years. So light and fluffy that it didn't drag down leaf laden branches. It was feather light, until it melted a bit and got sticky by noon and yet travel wasn't difficult...almost normal. We've been in a drought for several years now and so this was part blessing, part surreal.

Second Chances

What is a Nanny? Webster Dictionary, defines nanny as: a childs nursemaid. When I refer to myself as Nanny, I prefer to define my roll as, child and home care giver. I think of it as a priviledge and an honor to be intrusted with the care of a precious gift...a child.

I wish I could praise my work as excellent, but in all honesty I have had to humbly make some adjustments because under my watch, things have gotten broken, as a home care provider, and when my grandson fell down a flight of stairs, I nearly retired early from being his child care provider...his Nanny Nana. My daughter seemed to graciously understand that even under the best of care, her's or Daddy's, her son was still falling and bumping along.

I worked several years for a company that had frequent lay offs and I was caught up in four of them. During my last layoff and while waiting for rehire, I took on cleaning for a dear lady on oxygen most of the day. It wasn't long before another charming lady requested I come and help her in her home. By word of mouth my homes grew to a number that allowed me to have my own buisness in homecare. Finally, graduating with a Buisness Degree in my early 40's (after the first lay off that caught me) was proving its worth in my late 40's. It was the best time and very liberating to be my own boss and not have the stress of a next lay off.

When my grandson was born, I had already approached my daughter with the desire to care for him. And soon this matched her desire to have me do so. I shrunk my homes to the ones that I could clean around the care of my grandson and took a huge cut in my established pay. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. This was a choice because it was in my heart to be there for my grandchildren, in a way I may not have been for thier Momma and Daddy. But it wasn't until I had my grandson in my care for a few months that I came to believe this was a second chance for me.

I have a second chance to care for my grandson in a manner rich in transformation as Nana the Nanny, than I was as a young, single, dysfunctional Mother to my oldest son. I am often haunted by the mistakes I made in my late teens and twenties, in raising my children, especially my eldest son and only consoled when I reflect on how far I have come.

I give God the credit for my transformation. Only through His Guidance have I been able to be who I am now and not who I was then. He guided me to new tools, to people who could reach me in my despair and to opportunities that still amaze me to this day. Miracles, I call them! And He's not finished with me yet. He put me in charge of the care of this grandson, His gift, to heal some old wounds and calm the haunted soul. Of that I am now sure!

Nanny sounds so warm and loving to me. I have a quiet laugh, not like Fran the TV Nanny, and I am prone to act like a kid myself. I am not a qualified nurse but I know now how to nourish and nurture, foster positiveness, and protect from harm. I'm not the best maid but when I do clean, I clean up a storm! It is important to me to do my best and I'm grateful for a another chance to do just that!