Living La Vida Loca

This  blog entry is for you, sweet Ava – our first and very special grandchild.

After reading a wonderful article in the New York Times this week about the joys of grandparenting, I feel compelled to stop out from my “travelblogging” and share some of the daily thoughts and feelings I have as a novice Bubbe.  In truth, you are in my thoughts every single day…you are the screen saver on my laptop and your “shaina punim” populates a lion’s share of my nearly 8,000 phone photos.  Am I obsessed with you?  Of course I am.

Pappa and I made a choice when we came back from living abroad in Barcelona to resettle in Carlsbad – near the beach, out of LA traffic and hub-bub…a place we felt we could ease into active retirement and easily entice you, family and friends to come down and enjoy the weather and seaside life with us.  The only negative of this decision has been the distance between us and beloved LA-based family…especially you. Of course, we didn’t know for sure you’d come along when we made this choice, nor did we know that your Mom and Dad would migrate to LA…but it made complete sense as there are supportive family and friends  for all of you right in the city.  Your other grandparents are a godsend to you – being so close and so able to support you and your parents just a stone’s throw away.  Admittedly I feel a wistful envy at the proximity and access they have to you, but it is tempered by the recognition that their presence is a unique and wonderful gift.

Pappa and I have made another choice – we continue to work and travel a lot.  There are many reasons for that decision. We are devoted to the communities of cancer patients we serve through the company we founded…and we are working hard to transfer that responsibility to others as we get to the point where time with you and other family continues to be even more precious.  We travel for two big reasons:  We get great joy in exploring other cultures, meeting people from other backgrounds, challenging ourselves to find our way in unfamiliar territory.  We also love sharing those experiences with others – and as you grow up I hope our storytelling will be part of your fun in getting to know us better – and add to your understanding of the beautiful diversity in our world. I am hoping that this blog that I have been writing for many years now will someday be a window for you on some of the joy and awe we have experienced as we have traveled.

Ava dearest – you are one year old today!  It has been a wonder watching you grow – fast and furious – from a beautiful baby to a curious, loving, inquisitive, mischievously awesome toddler!  While seeing you on Face Time is fun, it’s not the same as holding you in person…getting down on the floor and playing music and knock the blocks down with you, watching you demolish your colorful lunches, and taking you for walks in the neighborhood…my greatest hope is that as time goes by Pappa and I will get more opportunities to hang out with you – and for you to get to know us better, and us to know you.

You are blessed with parents who cherish you and give you all you need to flower into a powerful and self-assured young woman.  You have love all around you – coming at you from family and friends daily.  These are the gifts you have been born into – what a lucky girl you are!

Happy Birthday, sweet Ava…

Bubbe