When Maddie's Mom, Wendy, uploaded this picture of Maddie in facebook, I read the comment made by her Uncle Bubut that said, "Just looking at the photo gave me a feeling of serenity". I then made a comment, "Maybe because she was using her mommy's comforter and pillow from way back when she was that age more than thirty years ago".
And then I cried for several minutes in the middle of the night because I found the picture to be beautiful and serene as Bubut described it. As Henry Wordsworth Longfellow says, "A thing of beauty is a joy forever". I was very happy my heart could burst. Perhaps I am seeing not only Maddie, who we are all crazy about, but also her Mom, Wendy, my first born.
The comforter was given by Mrs. Miguel of Des Moines, IA while I was in graduate school as a shower gift for me when I was pregnant with Wendy . The pillow case was made by my sister Menchie who came with my mother for Wendy's baptism.
I kept a lot of Wendy's baby stuff including plastic toy dishes and a set of play dishes made of Tupperware from my friend Nina, a Tupperware dealer. These are Maddie's favorite toys when she comes over to our house. She also loves to ride her Mom's "horsie horsie". All these are more than thirty years old!
I cried possibly also because I had a wonderful though exhausting experience at the Grove City Outlet with Wendy and Maddie earlier that day this picture was taken. I helped Wendy choose clothes and also amused Maddie at the playground while her Mom shopped. It was exciting to see Maddie take on the slide several times and ride the quarter operated elephant that went around. These are activities she was afraid to try on in the past. I was very proud of her as she took baby steps to meet the challenge of overcoming her fear and enjoy her new found skills. It was a joy to hear her laugh everytime she went down that slide.
I will always cherish the memory of the two of us eating Harry and David's Gourmet Popcorn with the strawberry coating melting into her clothes as we sat on a bench waiting for her mom to finish shopping. I left the popcorn in her stroller while I was watching her take the slide many times that afternoon and the chocolate and strawberry coatings melted.
If Maddie looked happy in the picture one would not be surprized, she had a satisfying fun filled day. The serenity that one can glean from the picture is from the innocence of a child being grateful for whatever came her way. And perhaps I cried since I was grateful for being with two persons I really loved that day, my first born and her own first born.
The comforter was given by Mrs. Miguel of Des Moines, IA while I was in graduate school as a shower gift for me when I was pregnant with Wendy . The pillow case was made by my sister Menchie who came with my mother for Wendy's baptism.
I kept a lot of Wendy's baby stuff including plastic toy dishes and a set of play dishes made of Tupperware from my friend Nina, a Tupperware dealer. These are Maddie's favorite toys when she comes over to our house. She also loves to ride her Mom's "horsie horsie". All these are more than thirty years old!
I cried possibly also because I had a wonderful though exhausting experience at the Grove City Outlet with Wendy and Maddie earlier that day this picture was taken. I helped Wendy choose clothes and also amused Maddie at the playground while her Mom shopped. It was exciting to see Maddie take on the slide several times and ride the quarter operated elephant that went around. These are activities she was afraid to try on in the past. I was very proud of her as she took baby steps to meet the challenge of overcoming her fear and enjoy her new found skills. It was a joy to hear her laugh everytime she went down that slide.
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| Maddie on the elephant that went around as you dropped quarters. She did this three times and wanted to go on it forever until others told her the horses and elephants need to rest. That pacified her. |
I will always cherish the memory of the two of us eating Harry and David's Gourmet Popcorn with the strawberry coating melting into her clothes as we sat on a bench waiting for her mom to finish shopping. I left the popcorn in her stroller while I was watching her take the slide many times that afternoon and the chocolate and strawberry coatings melted.
If Maddie looked happy in the picture one would not be surprized, she had a satisfying fun filled day. The serenity that one can glean from the picture is from the innocence of a child being grateful for whatever came her way. And perhaps I cried since I was grateful for being with two persons I really loved that day, my first born and her own first born.
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