...and by 'old guy' I mean my Dad. And by the way, am I the only person that has family unwilling to commit to some form of "grandma" and "grandpa"? My mom signs cards "Grandma D'Lux". Daniel doesn't know that many vowels. My dad, although he is the appropriate age to be a grandfather, still thinks he is too young. But he likes being called 'old guy'. Whatev.
My dad is staying at a VA hospital right now. He is (was?) a non-compliant diabetic. He is staying there to complete a work program, have his diet and meds strictly monitored, etc. So far it has been a really good thing for him. For the first time since I can remember, he is taking care of his diabetes appropriately. The wing he stays in is filled mostly with vets who are recovering from substance abuse or who have some sort of manageable mental illness. Some of them are sort of sad, and remind you of people you would find in a less than wonderful nursing home. Some are very haggard, others just a little weathered. Most are 50-60, but a few younger guys passed by.
I had taken the baby there once before to visit, and he was pretty shy and was afraid. But today was a beautiful day so we stayed outside. Several guys were with my dad, anxiously waiting for us to arrive. Apparently they had all heard about him from my dad and were excited to meet us. Suddenly this group of guys who were sitting around chain smoking are now yelling at each other to "put that shit out" around the baby. Guys in wheelchairs and scooters whose eyes were cast down were now coming over to see if the baby would let them get close, or if he was afraid of their wheels. My son chased after them going 'brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" and they all laughed into fits of coughing.
They all waited for the baby to warm up to them then went in for their "high fives". One of them who is friendly with my dad insisted on playing ball with him. It was so funny to see them chase after the baby, so worried he'd hit his head on the picnic table, or fall on the sidewalk.
They all had stories to relay about their own grandkids, and they all had their bits of advice: "thats good - give him strawberries instead of all that candy and cookies". "Teach him to hold hands in the street". They all cracked up when the baby would flash his big cheesy grin and giggle at them.
It was a fun afternoon. Hopefully some seeds of respect have been planted in my son, and hopefully he brightened the day for few very important people. We left such an impression, that we were invited back to "jam" on Saturday. I hear there is karaoke involved....
WOW...this is so insprirational. I love the stories you paint with your words. I've spent a lot of time at the VA Hospital here in Dayton. I still have a friend there. You cannot visit that place without leaving a more humbled person. I know baby Daniel was influenced at a level he will comprehend later in life.
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