Old Soul

My daughter was born on April 25th, the anniversary of her great grandfather's death. My grandfather, my dad's dad (we called him Gramps) was a bit of a Johnny-come-lately into the world of paternal affection, but he got there eventually. I wasn't nearly as close to him as I was to my other grandfather, but he was a really good guy.

Gramps was very well-off and a little well-to-do in the refined sense, but he was also a hard-working man. When he had his last stroke, he was working outside on a tractor. He smelled like chapstick and scotch. He drank and read the paper every day. He liked Beetle Bailey. He sang to us, as if it were a nursery rhyme,

"My momma done told me, when I was in knee-pants,
My momma done told me, son...
A woman is two-faced, a worrisome thing
Who'll lead ya to sing the blues, son."

Not exactly a traditional children's song. He whistled and he sang to us as he drove us around, in his old pick-up truck, the 800 acres of ranch-land he owned and loved. The thing about Gramps was his eyebrows. He had these big eyebrows that he combed up into a point. It was his thing. And he wouldn't let anyone trim them. And I think he liked it when you talked about them. His eyebrows were his thing. They were his eyebrows.

When I'm feeling nostalgic or sentimental about Gramps, I like to imagine that I see him in Lena, given the whole April 25th connection. So the other day, I noticed Lena in the bathtub. It was Gramps. I saw him right there in her eyebrows. Take a look.

Eyebrows aside, my little Lena is her own person! Three years ago today, she completed our family. She filled in all the missing pieces with tireless affection, her strength of character, her unwavering will, and a good dose of drama to boot. She is my beautiful little girl.

Happy birthday, Lena! And my best to Gramps too...