Rocking Chair Musings...

There's an old man in our town, And I guess he's been around For years and years At least that's what they say. Wrinkled hand and rocking chair, Growin' old just sittin' there Every year he has the same old thing to say. Youth only happens to you one time Or so I've been told If you should miss it in your young time, Have it when you old. These are the words to an obscure Kenny Rogers song. I happened to purchase the book with the words and music to an album of Kenny Rogers years ago. This song was in the book. I never heard it on a radio but it is probably one of the most beautiful of his songs. Tonight I'm in LaGrange with Claude. We are watching Hayden and Bailey this weekend while Andie and Michael take a well deserved weekend away just the two of them. When you are a young parent, it is not an easy thing to up and leave the little ones behind for several day. We took Five Guys hamburgers to a park by the river in Lousivlle. Michael met us there and we all had dinner together. Then Andie and Michael headed across the river and Claude and I stayed at the park to let Hayden and Bailey play themselves out before returning to their home in LaGrange for bedtime. We got all ready for bed just fine but Miss Bailey began the stalling so she wouldn't have to go to bed. We wove around several of the stall and then it was time to just make bedtime happen. Claude to Hayden into his rooms for stories and I bundled Miss Bailey in strong Gramma arms and sat in the rocker with Bailey crying and wailing and Wah-Wah in hand to help sooth the little one. I rocked and sang and rocked and sang and Bailey said, "No crib, no sing, sob, cry, etc., etc., etc." Now I've raised 3 kids of my own and I have 5 grandmonsters and I know the drill. I also knew this was the 1st night of getting her to bed with Mommy and Daddy gone and I didn't want her to come away with any feelings of insecurity. So I determined I would send all the love I could through my arms and feelings until she relented and relaxed. After 15 minutes, I watched the clock in my little dear's bedroom, she finally settled down to no noise and I could feel her little body relax. I heard a gentle knocking on the door. I didn't respond so quietly little Hayden opened Bailey's door and brought in 2 more stuffed animals that Bailey loves the must have been in his room. (Now that was just tender and sweet!). I continued to sing and rock for another 5 minutes until she was really relaxed. Then I said, "Time to get in your crib Bailey." She gathered up Wah-Wah and we placed her in her crib. She layed right down and let me cover her up. I peeked into the crib and said, "You call me in the morning and Gramma will be right there to pick you up." She was fine and laid that precious little head down with those big brown eyes closing and was probably asleep as I shut the door. As I sat in that rocker I had memories of rocking chairs in my life flood my mind. When Junie, Neffie and I were little bitty girls a man named Mr. Willie (if I remember correctly) lived down the street from us. He loved to do woodwork. He made us a rocking horse and 2 little rocking chairs. I loved those toys as a child. I remember sitting in rocking chairs on Gramma Fisch's front porch as a child shelling peas, or snapping beans, or watching a gentle summer rain, or just enjoying the day. One of those old rockers is now painted white and sits on my back porch. Another old rocker that was Gramma Fisch's that had a rawhide bottom in my guest bedroom. Claude has patched the broken braces and refinished it and it is a treasure sitting in that bedroom. I remember Gramma Chris (Claude's father's mother) and some old rocking chairs in her home. Bonnie has an old rocker in her kitchen that I think is one of these. It has broad flat arm rests and sits lower to the ground. It is quite roomy for a mom and child to sit in and I love sitting in that old rocker. When I gave birth to Nissa, I came home from the hospital and sitting there was a rocking chair purchased by Claude for his wife and new child. We had precious little money so financially this was a real treasure. But it was soooooo much more than just the money to me. It was a father, loving a wife and a new daughter, and understanding the importance of that rocking chair time that would be spent with hurt fingers or sick tummy or just having a hard time going to sleep. We logged many hours in that chair with Nissa, Jacob and Andie. When Nissa gave birth to Katelyn, Claude quietly ordered her a rocking chair. She and Scott were living with Bonnie and Evan. They helped make sure the chair made it to their home while Nissa was in the hospital with Katelyn. When Katelyn was 2 1/2 years old, Nissa and Scott divorced and Nissa and Katelyn came home to Maryland to live with us. My parents took a trip to Utah that summer and they packed the rocking chair in their van and brought it to Maryland for Nissa and Katelyn. That is a long drive between Utah and Maryland. They had to take that chair in and out of the van several times but again, the importance of hours spent between mom and child in that rocking chair and the love of a father giving it to his daughter were more precious that bumped shins moving a rocker in and out of a van across the United States. I spent many an evening with this little 2 1/2 year old in that rocker rocking and singing and holding 10+ stuffed animals to get our very active little Katelyn to settle into quiet and sleep. When Andie had Hayden, Claude again purchased a rocking chair for Andie. She was so happy to get that chair and know that as soon as Hayden was born she could come home to a rocker to feed and cuddle this precious little boy in. She set it in her bedroom. That is the rocker I was sitting in tonight with little 2 1/2 year old Bailey. No wonder as I sat there making sure our little girl was feeling secure and loved and felt this wave of rememberance of sitting with Katelyn at the same age and wanting her to feel secure and loved even though life was in a bit of an upheaval for her and her sweet mom. So tonight I ask you all to reflect with me on the importance of a good rocking chair to help us through all the stages of our life. Now I'm the old lady with wrinkled hands in a rocking chair and feeling good about many of the phases of my life and the rocking chairs that touched them.