Father Time is not always a hard parent, and, though he tarries for none of his children, often lays his hand lightly upon those who have used him well; making them old men and women inexorably enough, but leaving their hearts and spirits young and in full vigour. With such people the grey head is but the impression of the old fellow’s hand in giving them his blessing, and every wrinkle but a notch in the quiet calendar of a well-spent life. ~Charles Dickens

My mother will be 85 in a few days.  Her four children–age ranged 56 to 62–are throwing a party for her in Texas.  We’re having a Sesame Street theme.  May seem kind of juvenile or slightly insulting, but she’ll like it.  When my 33-year-old nephew was growing up, Sesame Street was all the rage and she was his day-time caregiver before he started school, so they spent a lot of time with Burt & Ernie, the Count, the Cookie Monster, and the rest.  We’ve got all the characters ready to decorate and celebrate.  Only our immediate family will be there; otherwise we’d most likely choose a more grown-up subject.

My 5-year old granddaughter isn’t going to make the trip.  So, I told her I wanted her to paint a special picture for my mom.  I was going to fashion an “85” with tape on a canvas (or a mattress, as Breezy calls it) and have her paint and decorate all around it. Then I’d pull off the tape, revealing the 85.  But, before I could give her the idea, she said, “Yes, I’ll paint a rainbow with me in the picture with a nice blue sky and green grass.”  Uh, yeah.  That is WAY better than what I was thinking. “Yes!,” I said. “That will be perfect.”  While she was painting it, she asked, “Are you sure your mom likes rainbows?”  “Oh, I’m positive she’ll love this rainbow!”

As you can see, the painting is just beautiful.  On the back, she wrote, “too Ollie, from Breezy.”  She’s in Kindergarten learning her site words.  Both “to” and “too” are on the site words’ list, so when I told her to write “to Ollie” she chose “too.”  I thought it was precious.  No way I was correcting that one!

She really wants to go to Texas for the celebration.  She does love a party.  It’s not going to be possible.  But, she prepared a couple of cards, a Sesame Street book that she tore all the pages out of (she got the idea from Cookie Monster eating a book), and her painting.

I have another gift of a picture of Breezy in a frame, dressed as an old lady on the 100th day of Kindergarten. She looks adorable in her giant cat glasses, patent leather Michael-Kors tennis shoes, pink cardigan sweater, buttoned to the top, all while sporting a white bun.  My mother will love it, and all the other gifts.

Life is short.  Breezy is five, and Ollie soon to be 85.  I love both of them to the moon and back.  Can’t imagine life without them.  I pray that God blesses them with much more life.  And I pray that He blesses me with much more of them.

dmzh