Family Heirlooms

Four generations - Jill, Brooke, me and my mom, Janis

Life moves quickly. With Snapchat photos that disappear just after they are clicked open and life summed up in 140 characters per Tweet, permanence can be elusive. We are never far from our phones, scrolling to make sure we don't miss the latest post from our "friends" - some of whom we've never even met in person.

When the washing machine breaks and it's cheaper to replace it than buy new parts, we bemoan the "planned obsolescence" of "things."

So maybe it's even more important to celebrate the things that last. Relationships top that list, of course. And sometimes, a few mementos survive the journey, too.

For Brooke's 2nd birthday, I passed along a wooden doll cradle. It first belonged to my Mom, who got the gift from her parents when she was about 5 years old. Her little sister, Merlene, got a similar cradle.

Little Janis Neelly's cradle featured a blue "J" at the base. So when Jill was little, my mom passed it on to her. Now, it belongs to Brooke. Though her given name doesn't start with a "J," her middle name is Jaylin, so the "J" cradle passed to her.

We also gave Brooke a Raggedy Ann that had been crafted by Randy's mom, Marie. I don't expect a 2-year-old to understand the significance of these family heirlooms.

For me, however, there's deep significance in passing along a 75-year-old doll cradle or sharing a doll made by another great grandmother who would have loved this next generation of little girls.

For right now, it's enough that Brooke will put her "babies" to bed in the same cradle that rocked her Great Grandma Janis' dollies. (In the photo above, she's covering up a baby with a blanket made by her Grandma Christy ... more family connections!)

Doll buggy and accessories from G/G Ladd!

Brooke loves her babies.  She's more interested in doll babies than Kinley ever has been. But when there's a real baby around, she'll gladly "take care" of her, too.

Cousin Ruth got plenty of love from Brooke and Grandma Christy.

Need a diaper change? The 2 year old is on it! We'll have this girl babysitting in no time! (Of course, there is that baby dolly that was abandoned in the background of this photo. Maybe we'll hold off on the babysitting gig!)

All the dolly gear may seem stereotypical. But we also got her some farm animals and a farm play mat. This girl can be a Mommy and a farmer.

Or maybe she'll be a firefighter, courtesy of Uncle Brent.

She'll keep in shape by pedaling her trike and her head will be protected in her new bike helmet from Great Grandma and Grandpa Moore.

It's a blessing to get together to celebrate birthdays.

With sisters ...

 And parents ...

 And even more generations.

Thankfully, those are the things that last.

It's a Snap(shot)

In the scheme of things, a month doesn't seem like all that long. But a month without seeing these two cuties is long enough.

So, after going to the the K-State basketball game with Brent on Saturday evening, we headed to Topeka for a day with Kinley and Brooke - and their parents, of course.

A month is a long time during a baby's first year. A lot can happen in a month - like belly laughs.

At 5 1/2 months, Brooke can sit up by herself for a little bit, though it's best to have adult hands ready when she starts to topple over.

And while big sisters don't change quite as much in a month's time, I love reading Kinley books, watching her play and listening to her talk - whether to me or to her dollies.

 (If you are a mom or grandma who is looking for a great gift for a preschool-aged girl, these Magiclips are better than Barbies. Kinley can change their clothes all by herself. She already had some, and we got her more for her Valentine's gift.)

She used her Valentine money from Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Moore to get a fleece blanket for naptime at school. She'd been using a baby blanket. Now, she has a big girl blanket - and it's got the Frozen characters!

It was "frozen" outside this weekend, too, so we got to see her all bundled up to go to church. She is a mini Jill in her fashionable coat! (Mommy's coat is bright yellow. I wish I'd gotten one of them together, but they were rushing out the door to Sunday School. Priorities!)

My best Valentine's gift was time with family. Since Randy had Kansas Wheat meetings in Manhattan on Monday and Tuesday, we spent Monday night with Brent. I also spent time during the day with my sister, Darci.

As the old newspaper clippings from the society pages used to quip, "A good time was had by all."

525,600 Minutes

I've had a song tumbling around in my head since I heard it again this week. The Stafford High School choir performed "Seasons of Love" at its spring concert. The song is from the Broadway musical, "Rent," which I've never seen, but the song transcended the stage.

Having songs on automatic mental repeat is normal for me. Thankfully, this one has both a beautiful melody line and message. And, as it has underscored my days since Monday night, I've thought about how it perfectly illustrates this coming weekend for me.

Brent & his dog he named Lucky, because he was so lucky to have him.

Brent has a birthday on Saturday. For 26 years, I've shared Mother's Day weekend with a special guy. Each of those years represents 525,600 minutes. How do we measure a year?

 Seasons Of Love

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes

Five hundred twenty five thousand moments so dear

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes

How do you measure, measure a year?

in daylight,

 in sunsets,

in midnights,

in cups of coffee,

in inches, in miles,

Photo by Gina Dreher

 in laughter, 

in strife

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes

How do you measure a year in a life?

How about love?

How about love?

How about love?

Measure in love...

Seasons of love...

seasons of love...

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes

Five hundred twenty five thousand journeys to plan

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes

Photo by Stan Reimer, Pratt

How do you measure a life of a woman or a man?

In truths that she learned

Photo by Gina Dreher, Wichita

or in times that she cried

 

in bridges he burned

or the way that she died

It's time now to sing out 

though the story never ends

Let's celebrate - 

remember a year in a life of friends

My Mom and me

Remember the love...

(oh, you gotta remember the love) 

Randy and his mom, Marie, March 1956

Remember the love...

(oh yeah, it's a gift from up above)

Remember the love...

(sing out, give out, measure your life in love)

Seasons of love...

Photo by Emily Brensing of Emily J Photography

seasons of love...

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom, to my daughter, Jill, and all the women who have played such a vital role in my life. I'm also remembering my mother-in-law, Marie, and the Grandmas in my life who'll be waiting at heaven's gates.  I've been blessed beyond measure!

Enjoy the beautiful song, if you'd like!