Simple Pleasures

Thursdays are “River” days at our house.

On most Thursdays, my husband babysits his granddaughter River.  She goes to a caregiver the other four days of the week, but on Thursday she comes to our home to spend the day.  I have been fortunate throughout the summer to be home on River Days, getting the chance to share in the bonding and joyful moments of a developing toddler.  Now 21 months old, River is growing and changing so quickly before our eyes.  Each week we are awed by some new development in her growth or speech, or in the connections she makes to her world.  The delight that she experiences in learning something new is our delight as well.  We find ourselves smiling and laughing more on River Days.  River is a source of great happiness, reminding us of what it is to be innocent and carefree.

Recently I bought a new cell phone.  The one I had been using was very old (as cell phones go) and very low tech (I don’t require much in a phone – occasional phone calls and text messaging).  I would have continued to use it, but since the battery was needing to be replaced anyway and the cost of my prepaid phone relatively inexpensive, I decided to upgrade a little.  So when River was over last Thursday, I thought it would be fun to take her picture with the camera on the phone and send it in a text message to my daughter away at college who has been missing her.

When I told River that I would take her picture to send to Gabrielle, she sat in front of me, ready and posed with a smile.  So cute.  I snapped the shot and showed it to her.  So excited she was, saying, “That’s MY River!” gesturing to herself.  It was her joy in recognizing “That’s ME!”.  Such happiness found in a simple moment.  She was happy and I was happy to experience her happiness.  And we could share that happiness with my daughter who is hundreds of miles away.  Simple and powerful at the same time, that joy.

For my husband (“Pop-Pop”, though it’s more like “Po’-Po'”, without the final p’s pronounced) and myself (‘nette), River Days are a simple pleasure because River is simply a  pleasure. 🙂