Time was marching on. The birthdays were behind us and the holiday season stretched ahead. DS1 and my DIL asked me to stay with my granddaughter while they went to the company holiday “do”. She was at that age that we could have lots of fun together so it wasn’t a hardship to say yes. [...]

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It was August, 2002, and time for another trip to North Carolina to celebrate my mother’s birthday. Since it wasn’t a landmark celebration—after all, she was turning “only” 98—my sister didn’t come in from the Canyon Lands of Colorado. The ones of us who were close enough to attend couldn’t all gather until the 18th, [...]

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It was months down the road, the baby had been home from the hospital after 15 days in NICU. She was still very petite but growing. Here she is with her Granny Sue. DD was home on one of her school breaks and had been accosted by my older granddaughter’s current cat, Shadow. I always [...]

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It was late October, 2001.Through the intense pain, my DIL was trying to tell me the shortest route to the hospital with the fewest red lights. I protested this wasn’t the time for me to be driving in unfamiliar territory. What if she should pass out? I’d be stuck not knowing which way to go. [...]

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It was Sunday when I headed home. I couldn’t go without seeing my new granddaughter again. I went through all the preparations and expected DS2 and my DIL to be there, too. They weren’t. The little one and I were all alone in a room full of other babies and their families. I took full [...]

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The Little One was born on Thursday. Bright and early on Friday, I went to DS1′s. The delay meant I wouldn’t see my new granddaughter until she was a day old. She would still be brand new. What’s the difference when I wasn’t able to be there for the birth, anyway? We loaded up DS1′s [...]

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DD and merm had arrived at their destination and were getting established in their new roles as interns. They traveled to and from Connecticut by train and got around New York City by bus and subway. Someone took them on a tour of the area including the still smoldering ruins of Ground Zero. DD told [...]

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The horror of the day would never end. Some people thought it was more personal for me than it really was. My phone rang off the hook with calls inquiring about DD’s safety. Time after time, I would say, “She’s fine. She isn’t in New York yet. She is still in California. Her flight is [...]

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The next few weeks proved to be tense at work and at home. The threat of the hospital closing and my DIL’s shaky pregnancy was making life very stressful. It was all I could do to make it through the day with a modicum of sanity. I had to push myself to go in on [...]

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It was edging into July and I had been invited to DS1′s place for the 4th of July. My granddaughter’s birthday is on the 3rd so I went down on the 4th Eve so I could be there for her special celebration—the annual fireworks display at the university. On the way, the odometer in my [...]

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