My father was a man who did not know how to play and interact with children. I remember him mostly out of the house and not directly involved in our lives. He had his first granddaughter at the age of 49 and didn’t want to be called grandfather because he still felt young and didn’t know how to fit in.
He kept getting older and adding grandchildren, until a great-granddaughter came along who touched his heart. Ever since my granddaughter was a baby, she loved being with him. His body would bend down to hold her hand, and when he did, she would caress his face and he was so touched by this.
The two of them would sit quietly on the couch. They didn’t do anything special, but you could feel the love between them. As my granddaughter grew they walked together, she put cream on his feet and massaged them. It seemed to him that a delicate angel was touching them and he thought he was in heaven.
She felt protected and respected; he was filled with tenderness, joy and trust. They had a relationship of few words and much connection. Watching them was nourishing. How two generations of such different ages crossed time and came together, showing that love makes all things possible.
The times when I have cared for both of them have brought me so much richness. I have been able to see my father vulnerable, open, tender and joyful. My granddaughter, with her freshness and innocence, managed to break down his barriers of isolation and lack of love, returning him to his sensitivity and gentleness.
The care I was able to give them was of a practical nature, such as making food. For the rest, they needed no one. My job was not to interfere, to allow them space and observe. These were sacred moments that brought harmony and took me deeper into my heart.
1 thought on “Connection Between Generations”
Very touching. It shows how every one of us has a sensitivity and well of love within that is always there no matter how hard or protective or brash we may appear on the outside.
If we react to the outer front it makes it harder for another to let go of the barriers, if we can openly be in our delicacy, sweetness and tenderness it invites another to join us in the joyous fragility of the inner world.