Generations

The new me

Life with grandchildren is always an adventure.

I have found with each additional grandchild, I am certainly not the same parent-type as I was with our own children. Interacting with these little people at this time in my life opens up another level of who I have become. Spending time with them, any time at all, somehow fills a new space in my being, almost to the point of not really recognizing the new me.

Raising 4 children

My husband and I were blessed with four amazing children of our own, one daughter and three sons. Their ages span from 21 to 33, officially all adults. The youngest is a college student with one foot almost out the door, but each one of them has a unique and distinctive personality, gifted in their very own way.

Yearly eye exams

Their growing up years involved yearly eye exams and all four of them needed glasses. Three of them getting their glasses in grade school, the little guy got his at age 2. My thoughts during these years was mostly surve level. I wasn’t too concerned, both parents wore them so this was genetics at its best.

When I began having more challenges with my visions cataracts and then the official diagnosis of Myopic Degeneration, my thoughts returned back to our children. Two of them being very nearsighted, this gives me worry for them. In raising children, no matter what age they are, you always worry about them. Will their future be similar to what I am dealing with now?

My grandchildren

As each new generation enters into our world, I find myself watching them closely. Are they seeing as they should be? Will they be another group of glasses wearing children in our family? Will this Myopic Degeneration skip them by? That’s my hope. Should they in the future have to deal with this degeneration, will modern medicine have come up with some amazing new procedure that will eliminate the problem? I sure hope so.

Recently I had the special opportunity to spend some one- on- one time with our oldest grandson who is 7 years old. As I love to draw, paint and color, it was a chance to spend time with him creating a very interesting green dinosaur, complete with bright green clay and assorted decorations that only a 7 year old could love.

As we worked closely together to create this one of a kind masterpiece, my heart was touched when I heard him ask me this: “Nana, if your eyes are so bad, how can you be so good at drawing?” I answered him this: “With all these really bright lights, anything is possible.”

Hope

It is my hope that those words stay true. With bright lights and all the extra help I need, I can keep living the life I do... I can continue to visit the retinal pecialist and endure the shots to keep this degeneration at bay. In doing so I will continue to share time with these little people who grace our lives.