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I recently spent some time performing Nana duties. My son and his wife went away for the weekend, and I moved in with my poodle Murphy and my labradoodle Finley, to watch my 1-year-old grandson and my 2-year-old granddaughter. No big deal, right? Wrong! I had a very "Leave it to Beaver," (for those of you who weren't around in the 1950s and 1960s, this was a television sitcom which featured an idealistic, all-American family) blissful vision of how this weekend would go, and Friday went off without a hitch. I was thinking to myself, this is going to be a breeze, but then came Saturday!
One of my other sons (I have 3 in total) owns a cabin near East Waterford in Juniata County. We thought it would be a great idea to meet at the cabin and his children could play with their cousins and all would be well. Everything went along swimmingly until I turned off Horse Valley Road (yes that is actually the name) onto Germantown Road. I could see the road was a bit sketchy with very little gravel peeking through the ice and snow, but being an adventurer at heart, I pushed on the gas, and we ascended upward.
As we climbed higher and higher the snow and gravel disappeared to be replaced by one massive solid sheet of ice. Soon we were going nowhere except backwards, then a bit sideways, half on the road and half off. I managed to steady the car (which by the way was not mine, but my son's) and sat there contemplating my next move. To my relief my son's truck miraculously appeared on the horizon and thanks to his mad driving skills we were able to get the car turned around and down off the mountain. Everyone survived unscathed, except perhaps my anxiety level.
To my great relief, we finally arrived safely back home. My tranquil moment was short lived, however, as I opened the door to find an overturned garbage can with trash scattered throughout two rooms. Bear in mind these are toddlers so you can imagine the treasure trove of delectables my dogs found in that garbage can! My first inclination was to sit down right there in the middle of it, cover my face with my hands, and weep uncontrollably, but when you have two toddlers staring at you, mouths open and eyes wide, that is not a viable option. I proceeded to clean up the putrid mess, all while keeping the toddlers and dogs from joining the fray.
I had visions of packing my gear and placing it by the door so that when their parents arrived home I could make a beeline to my car, dogs in tow, stomping hard on the gas, spinning out in a furry with stones flying! Nothing left but a cloud of dust. Thankfully, when the time came for my exit, that is not what happened. I am pleased to report that the rest of the weekend went by without incident, and the memory of those negative experiences just fell away as we replaced them with terrific memories. There was a cousin sleepover with whispers, hugs and kisses, Mickey Mouse pancakes, the creation of a florescent pink Valentine's Day cake complete with sprinkles, and many beautiful art projects.
Instead of my preplanned speedy retreat, I experienced a difficult time saying goodbye as I tucked my precious portrait, created by those beautiful little hands, under my arm, slipped my treasured pipe cleaner bracelet around my wrist and slowly made my way to the door. Just as I gripped the knob I heard "Nana wait," and there was my 1-year-old granddaughter crookedly waving goodbye.
I will not confirm or deny if tears stung my eyes as I slowly made my way to the car, but I can tell you this, I walked away with a measureless appreciation for parents. Theirs is the most challenging and rewarding calling there is, and after this experience, I am more determined than ever to understand and support them, without judgement, any way I can. I am just hoping there will be many more "Leave it to Beaver" adventures in my future.
"Being a family means you are a part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life." -- Lisa Weed Phifer
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Rhonda S. Kelley is executive director of the Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce.