New hair barrettes… to hold what?

A single curl at the nape of her young neck. A soft swirl suggesting more curls are yet to form. A small pink knitted barrette sits gently in my granddaughter’s fine hair serving no purpose other than to entertain her mother and myself. She is patient with our folly…

Fifteen months today. Words are forming. A personality too. The world through her eyes has refreshed mine. I marvel with envy at her thirst for exploration. The thrill of discovery. Joyfully repeated. The “art” of repetition has meaning and purpose. Navigating her world while learning her strength and her strengths. Willful protests at attempts to divert and redirect. Toddler choices occasionally differ from mine. She fears nothing while I fear most…

She sits on the plush carpeted floor with the sunlight streaming in. A small sturdy cardboard rhythming book in her tiny hands. She goes from page to page reading aloud. Her words imitate ours. In toys and in life it is not about the bells and whistles but instead the building of her life quietly word by word. Building block by building block. That which nourishes her will also sustain…

                                  “Every child is born a genius.” Buckminster Fuller