The Joy on Thursday

I was blessed on Thursday, though drugged for pain. Bob took the day off work to care for the grandchildren since I was not in good shape. Unfortunately, Baby Rowan was too ill to join us that day. He had fever and vomiting and stayed home in his Daddy's arms.

Now imagine being drugged for pain after having two molars pulled. Trying to eat a pancake with only your front teeth. Trying to be patient and joyful with your Granddaughters at the breakfast table. Suddenly our newly-turned-seven year old, Ellie, yelps "OUCH!" (She had sprinkles on top of her pancakes.) "That sprinkle hurt my tooth!" She opened her mouth to show us the blood. I grabbed a tissue for her and said, "Just pull it!" {She had been playing with this front tooth for over a week. Pop had told her that if she did not stop playing with it he would make her look at the one the surgeon pulled out of my mouth!! } She bit down on that sprinkle in such a way that the tooth was almost out! So we cheered her on to just give it a tug. She got up her courage and it was out!

Th irony was not lost on this Grammy! I have been having my teeth pulled out by professionals. Hers have been moving out to make way for "big" teeth. Mine will make way for artificial teeth. There was a book we bought long ago about a Grandpa taking his Granddaughter for a walk in a stroller and telling her that one day she would take him for a walk (in a wheelchair.) I thought of this book as Ellie retold the tale of how she pulled her own tooth.

 

Pascal once wrote: “We never live only in the present, the only time we have. We are so unwise that we wander through ages which are not our own and never give thought to the one thing which belongs to us: the present moment. Since we are always planning how we are going to be happy; it is inevitable that we never are.”

Even though I was feeling ill and in pain, this child brought joy to me with her present moment sprinkle tooth incident. My husband brought joy to me by caring for me so deeply. My other granddaughter brought joy to me by being with us that day. Gee, if I need another tooth pulled maybe I'll try eating sprinkles first and see if I can avoid that oral surgeon!!