Bayou Kidz | A Love Letter from Lulu

article by Cindy G. Foust

It’s the month of love readers, for our BayouLife community and here we all are on the cusp of another snowpocalypse. Seriously, Snowbird Bob had everyone running to the grocery store, in preparation for the next ice and snow act for Mother Nature, but, I think we are missing it. So instead, in these frigid temperatures, we press on…straight into the month that hosts all things love, National Pizza Day, National Tater Tot Day and of course, National Ukulele Day. Boy, it’s going to be a busy month. While studying these national treasure holidays, I contemplated telling my “love story,” where Scott stalked me at our 10-year class reunion. Yes, in the days before Nancy Grace and stalker news segments, he followed me around like “me and my shadow, my shadow and me,” and then called me for lunch. The rest, as they say, is history. And, here we are, on the cusp of our 30th anniversary, and it’s never been better. 

I was talking to my daughter this morning, about the “uncertainties” of life; the turbulence that we all will face at some point in our lives, but also thinking that I wouldn’t want to do this life with anyone other than Scott. That’s my love letter to him, by the way, for an early Valentine’s Day card. We’ve had our share of the proverbial ups and downs, and we’ve weathered them together, albeit, sometimes not so elegantly. But we did it. And the best part of late has been sharing this amazing little life that God has blessed us with, our beautiful, smart, and oh-so-funny granddaughter. We thank God every day for this gift! It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a year ago that we were having baby showers and getting ready to welcome this little life. Long sigh. In thinking back on this last year in our new role as grandparents, I realize that the “fun” is really just starting. And we are here for it. 

I’ve written many times about my own grandmother, and my desire to emulate and capture that same relationship with my grandchildren that I had with her. Times are different now, than when I grew up, but are they really? Don’t we have the same desire to forge relationships with our family that will outlive us? When I think about Bitsy, the first thing that comes to my mind is “safe.” My grandmother lived a very quiet and unpretentious life on her “hill” for nearly 60 years. If I could send her a letter today, I think I would start by thanking her for creating a home that I never wanted to leave, and when I was a child, that I had to be bribed and threatened to make go home. This extended stay at her house always included homemade french fries and my heating blanket turned on prior to my getting into bed. It also included allowing me to play school for hours, with my sisters, which I credit for the rich (that sounds so smart and sophisticated) imagination that I think I have. I would thank her for being one of the most steadfast and honorable people that I have ever known, who was loyal to her family to a fault. She didn’t mind putting you in line, or bringing you back down to reality if necessary, but she was always, always on your side. I would thank her for living her life in the simplest of ways, but in that simple life (because readers, she had it right), she had peace and joy in her non-stressed heart every day. I would thank her for proving that you can make a dollar stretch until George’s face falls off; for proving that you shouldn’t plant your tomatoes and cucumbers too close together; and that if you drink a little vinegar every day, you will keep most illnesses at bay. She was also a saver and Dave Ramsey could likely learn a few tips with one conversation with Bitsy. Finally, I would thank her for teaching me that some study in the “good book” keeps you grounded and loving your family and friends, even when they stumble, should be one of your greatest commissions. 

A lot of this column may sound familiar; I write about striving to be more like my grandmother a lot, and now that I am in that role, it’s become even more important to me that I create a home that my baby Britton feels safe and loved. That she gets out of the car and sashays herself right into the pits of Eutopia and knows that the frenchfries will be homemade and that the heating blanket will be on for her. That she knows she has a lap to crawl into for anything from book reading (Alpha-kidZ will certainly be the preferred choice with Ferdinand the Bull and The Kissing Hand two close seconds), to napping, to just quietly watching a movie. That she knows the kitchen will always be open for her, no matter the request, and most of the time, she will have her chef hat and apron on and be the sous chef as we prepare the mac and cheese. I especially want her to know that her grandparents are always on her side, that she is loved beyond measure and we will be here cheering for her no matter what she decides she wants to be when she grows up. 

I was talking to my lovely co-grandmother the other day, Gracie’s mom, and we just giggle when we talk about Britton. She made a comment that has stuck with me when she said, “Britton is so lucky that she is so loved by so many people.” She’s right about that. I suspect that many of my readers are grandparents and relish the role just as we do. It’s an interesting dynamic now, realizing just how much we “didn’t know” as young parents, but getting to relive it all again through the eyes and hands of our children. It’s kind of fun being the resource that my parents and grandparents were to us, so that what we “didn’t know” quickly became what “we knew.” Does that make sense? In this new season of life for us, it is joyful and fun and memorable, and we thank God every day for these rich blessings. In this month of love, romantic love or grandparent love, I want to be sure to enjoy each step, even long after February 14th passes us by and we keep the sentiment of this lovely holiday all year long.

Cindy G. Foust is a wife, mom, author and blogger. You can find her blog at the alphabetmom.com for weekly columns about home life,  parenting, small business stories and insight with a smidgen of literacy. Give her a like or follow on Facebook and Instagram.