No tags yet.
Take your granddaughter to the place where you first fell in love. Walk around there, maybe it is outside in a park, maybe in a dark cafe, maybe it is inside a house that you no longer live in, that you point to from across the street. Tell her about that first love. I can guarantee she will listen. I would if my grandmother did the same to me. Do not underestimate what being open can mean, or what giving a little can represent in this kind of relationship. Chances are she will not reciprocate with a similar story (maybe she is five years old and doesn't yet understand that animal that is love) or maybe she is shy but whatever the response know she will be thinking about the story you've told her. Especially if it pertains to her grandfather or someone in her life. We, as humans, are so engaged with our own connections and humanity. She will begin to spin a web of understanding, of the dynamics of you as a person with a past that existed long before she was born and who continues to exist and love and remember your first or second or third loves.
*SUBMIT one photo of you and your granddaughter at the site to ehepner@andrew.cmu.edu*