Lessons from 2011
Our friend Kent and his daughter stopped by a few days before Christmas. They had a plate of treats and a Christmas card with a letter. I like Christmas letters so I opened it up as soon as I could. It was a good one. Instead of the details of the year as most letters tend to be, it was a list of lessons that had been learned during the year.
I liked it so much that I am going to shamelessly steal their idea and use it for my column today. These are in no particular order.
1. Putting the word"step" in front of parent, still makes you a parent. I realised this when we sent Carrie off to London to study abroad this past fall. I wasn't worried about her safety or if she could care for herself. She is a capable young woman. I was worried that she would have so much fun travelling and seeing things in Europe that she would neglect her studies. I was afraid that she would like the lifestyle over there and would not want to return to finish her degree.
When I was in Europe, I went to Florence, Italy. If I had been able to find work as a pharmacist there, I never would have returned to the United States. One of C's biggest regrets is that he had not finished his degree. I didn't want the same thing to happen to Carrie.
2. Watching someone discover something new is fun. C finally broke down and got a pair of hearing aids. He has nearly complete hearing loss in the left ear and about a 70 percent loss in the right. He can now hear out of his left ear for the first time in 30 years or more. It is interesting and fun to watch him as he discovers little sounds like the wind blowing. He can hear the small sounds that Scamp and Colby make. He can hear me when we sit in a restaurant. We are both learning how to adjust to his new ability.
3. I like to adopt people. Sherry Rae, a classmate of Carrie, was unable to go home during the semester break. Carrie asked if she could stay with us. We agreed immediately. We have done all that we can to assure her that she is welcome and that we are happy to have her with us. While she was away spending the Christmas holiday with another classmate, I noticed that she was sleeping on a bare mattress with a few blankets. I felt bad. I had forgot to set some sheets out for her. I found some flannel sheets and made her bed for her so it would be ready for her when she got back. It made me feel good to know she had a proper bed to sleep in.
This is the time of year when people receive presents and talk about what they got. Sherry Rae, being away from home, would not likely have anything to unwrap. I didn't want her to feel left out so C and I picked out a gray,fuzzy throw and a matching black pillow. We wrapped them and gave them to her when she came back after Christmas. I'm not sure who was more happy Sherry Rae or me.
4. It doesn't take much to make me happy. C bought me a big floor pillow and a lap desk. I like to sit on the floor, but lately sitting that way makes my hips stiff. Now I can sit and read or write in perfect comfort. I could not have asked for more.
There are many more things that I could have listed, but these are the ones that come to mind first. I wish all of you a new year filled with health, happiness and lots of new things to learn.
I liked it so much that I am going to shamelessly steal their idea and use it for my column today. These are in no particular order.
1. Putting the word"step" in front of parent, still makes you a parent. I realised this when we sent Carrie off to London to study abroad this past fall. I wasn't worried about her safety or if she could care for herself. She is a capable young woman. I was worried that she would have so much fun travelling and seeing things in Europe that she would neglect her studies. I was afraid that she would like the lifestyle over there and would not want to return to finish her degree.
When I was in Europe, I went to Florence, Italy. If I had been able to find work as a pharmacist there, I never would have returned to the United States. One of C's biggest regrets is that he had not finished his degree. I didn't want the same thing to happen to Carrie.
2. Watching someone discover something new is fun. C finally broke down and got a pair of hearing aids. He has nearly complete hearing loss in the left ear and about a 70 percent loss in the right. He can now hear out of his left ear for the first time in 30 years or more. It is interesting and fun to watch him as he discovers little sounds like the wind blowing. He can hear the small sounds that Scamp and Colby make. He can hear me when we sit in a restaurant. We are both learning how to adjust to his new ability.
3. I like to adopt people. Sherry Rae, a classmate of Carrie, was unable to go home during the semester break. Carrie asked if she could stay with us. We agreed immediately. We have done all that we can to assure her that she is welcome and that we are happy to have her with us. While she was away spending the Christmas holiday with another classmate, I noticed that she was sleeping on a bare mattress with a few blankets. I felt bad. I had forgot to set some sheets out for her. I found some flannel sheets and made her bed for her so it would be ready for her when she got back. It made me feel good to know she had a proper bed to sleep in.
This is the time of year when people receive presents and talk about what they got. Sherry Rae, being away from home, would not likely have anything to unwrap. I didn't want her to feel left out so C and I picked out a gray,fuzzy throw and a matching black pillow. We wrapped them and gave them to her when she came back after Christmas. I'm not sure who was more happy Sherry Rae or me.
4. It doesn't take much to make me happy. C bought me a big floor pillow and a lap desk. I like to sit on the floor, but lately sitting that way makes my hips stiff. Now I can sit and read or write in perfect comfort. I could not have asked for more.
There are many more things that I could have listed, but these are the ones that come to mind first. I wish all of you a new year filled with health, happiness and lots of new things to learn.
Happy New Year from Scamp,Colby,C and Sophie
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