July 04, 2009

Broken Legs and Watermelon


On July 2 my only granddaughter broke her leg. No one had been around to see it happen, but when Phil, fiddling with the water sprinklers on the other side of the house, heard her crying. He found her on her hands and knees under the jungle gym.


She's a tough cookie, though. Knows no fear. After being cheered up and set on her feet and then treated to corn dogs and ketchup for supper, all seemed to be well. Except that afterward she refused to get off the bench. Seeing that this normally tough child refused to put weight on her leg, Phil and Katie decided to take her to the doctor. How does a two-and-a-half-year-old break a leg?

She will be casted on Monday after the swelling goes down. For now she's wearing a splint. When she arrived at my house yesterday, the 3rd, her father's 31st birthday, asleep in her car seat and curls spilling down over her face, I got teary. Life is so fragile and we break so easily.

When it was decided we'd all go down to the C Shop for Phil's free jelly beans (the shop gives out free beans in the amount of your years), Evelyn, now awake, said, "Granny Bee, will you carry me to the buggy?"


The candy shop was crowded, the day warm, the holiday weekend already begun. We left Evelyn Rose outside with her mum, and I bought her a Daisy Mint. She was pleased.


They're gone now, off to celebrate the weekend with other family. And I'm left alone thinking about my only granddaughter's broken bone. And how she's such a trooper. I wonder how much pain she, like the rest of us, will suffer in the school of hard knocks. Will she be able to land on her feet and sally forth every time? I suspect so. I'd like to be like her.


She loves watermelon. She is sighing over just how much she loves it. In this small way, we are like each other. 

Yeah.

5 comments:

  1. Roxanne A. Atkinson6:21 AM

    HI Brenda,
    I read your devotional in Guideposts this morning and it prompted me to read more about you, thus finding your blogspot. Your words touched my heart about the love you have for your granddaughter. I am a grandmother too and it amazes me this intense love I have for each one. Two of them were reared by me and their daddy from their birth until just two years ago when he remarried. I have felt that part of my heart has been ripped out and I miss them and their daily lives so much.
    Your granddaughter is beautiful and I pray that her leg heals quickly and will be stronger than it was before.
    My mom has always told me that once you have children, your heart is on the outside of your body and is easily bruised.....but I thank God to be able to love another human being so completely and unselfishly as the way I love my grandchildren. It surely must reflect the love that our Father has for us.
    Your words touched me.
    Sincerely,
    Roxanne A. Atkinson

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  2. I've just read your devotional & felt I needed to write to tell you how important your are to the world. It may seem odd as we don't know each other but still wanted to pass that along.
    Your grandaughter is lovely & I pray that she heals. I don't have a grandchild (but do have a grand dog!) but hope that maybe by next year!
    Sincerely,
    Vickie

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  3. Roxanne: Thanks for the note! Just so you know, I had Evelyn Rose for the weekend and she is in her third cast now--a bright grass green this time. She keeps destroyed them and her father winces at each $60 change-over, but I think he's secretly pleased at how tough she is. It was a delight to have her, and we had a good time!

    b

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  4. okay, destroying them. i write, i don't spell or keep my verb tenses straight. sorry! bw

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  5. Hi Brenda, I've been a fan of yours since reading the first three Sweetbriar books (from Guideposts). Didn't know there were three more!! They were of special interest since I grew up in Coulee Dam, WA. Grandchildren are indeed a blessing! you are blessed to have them so close!
    Blessings, Sarah Z in MI

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