The video starring my granddaughter is priceless. I've watched it a dozen times and it keeps getting better.
I am writing this as my granddaughter Eleanor Rose just turned 2, and she is every bit as lovely as her name suggests.
She has dark brown, almond-shaped eyes just like her mother's; golden brown curls that bounce down her back; and a smile that can cure, or at least make me forget, most any ache, pain or worry.
Also, I'm told she has my toes.
In the video that my daughter-in-law sent, Elle was in a diaper, fresh out of the tub, almost ready for bed. But first she had to get Honey, her baby doll, ready to go "night-night."
Before tucking Honey in bed, Elle decided to strap her in her stroller and take her for a spin.
So in the video, for the next several minutes, they popped wheelies around the room, whirling in circles at breakneck speed, with Elle pushing the stroller and singing her heart out (her mom said it was a Monster Jam tune she learned from her brothers) and Honey hanging on for dear life.
I don't know if it made Honey sleepy, but I can assure you that watching it wiped me out.
Elle has learned so much in her two short years: how to walk, how to talk and how to sing her ABC's, count to 13 and ride herd on her brothers. She has even learned how to understand the finer points of human nature.
She wrestles with her brother Wiley, who is 4, and insists on playing "monster trucks" with him, no matter if he wants her to or not.
She goes to her oldest brother, Randy, who is 6 and tenderhearted, for hugs.
She wraps her dad like Silly Putty around her little finger.
And if she needs anything -- food, milk or comfort of any kind -- she has learned it's smart to go running to her mom.
Also, for little things that don't cost much, she has learned that if she makes her wishes known, they might magically appear at her door in a FedEx truck.
She has learned the joy of being read to by someone she loves, and the even greater joy of curling up on a sofa with snow falling outside her window and reading to herself.
She has learned to be kind to creatures who need her -- to her parents, her brothers, her dogs, her cat and even to her Nana.
When we FaceTime, if I shake my hair at her, she will shake her hair back, noting with a grin that it's our special thing.
She has even learned to wait until everyone is asleep, then stand on a box to turn on the light and ride her toy pony.
All that in just two years.
I don't remember, at her age, being half as smart or half as adored as she surely is. But I do recall over the years the people who pulled for me -- my parents, grandparents and several teachers, who dreamed big dreams on my behalf.
Having someone to dream for you can make all the difference. Elle is fortunate to have lots of people who dream for her.
On her birthday, I phoned her to sing "Happy Birthday," to assure her that I am so very glad she was born, and to watch her twirl (via FaceTime) in her birthday dress, ballet slippers and tiara.
And I also told her that I love her "all," which is as much as any human can possibly love, even her very own Nana.
Later, after Elle and her brothers in Montana, and their cousins in California, were all tucked safely in their beds fast asleep, I said a prayer for them and for their parents, who need all the help they can get.
I asked God to bless them with abundant grace, enduring peace and steadfast safekeeping, for always and forever. Amen.
Sharon Randall can be reached at P.O. Box 777394, Henderson, Nev. 89077, or on her website:
sharonrandall.com
Family on 02/01/2017