{"id":8039,"date":"2014-02-24T14:35:21","date_gmt":"2014-02-24T19:35:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beginnersheart\/?p=8039"},"modified":"2014-02-24T14:36:51","modified_gmt":"2014-02-24T19:36:51","slug":"sons-and-daughters-and-grandsons-and-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beginnersheart\/2014\/02\/sons-and-daughters-and-grandsons-and-love.html","title":{"rendered":"sons, and daughters, and grandsons, and love"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"image\"<\/a>I’m one of those weird people who is happiest when giddy with loving folks. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit this, since I get considerable flak over it from family (are you high on happy pills??<\/em>). But it’s true, if I’m honest — I’m far better at loving than being loved.<\/p>\n

Probably a lot of us are like that — slightly uncomfortable w\/ being loved. Waiting for the “it’s all a mistake<\/em>” shoe to drop. Maybe it’s why almost everyone loves a wiggly puppy, a squirmy kitten, a babbling baby. When they love us, there’s no artifice or fear.<\/p>\n

So imagine my heaven this week: I get to spend an ENTIRE WEEK just loving my elder son, my wonderful DIL, and my perfect grandson. I don’t even need lessons — one of the few times when my beginner’s heart feels absolutely competent.<\/p>\n

I realise there are people whose families are sad disappointments. That would not be me. My sons, DIL, and nieces and nephews — the entire younger generation of our family, really — each have myriad wonderful gifts. Even when they sometimes make decisions that leave me thinking\u00a0hunh… really?<\/em> I’m crazy about them. It’s all I can do not to nuzzle on them like I do my grandson — they’re still that amazing.\"image\"<\/a><\/p>\n

But \u00a0you can’t do that w\/ elegantly dressed elder sons, or impeccably competent younger ones. Or with practically perfect DILs. At best, you can give them HUGE hugs, leaning into them and counting your blessings. (I recommend you do this inaudibly; they look at you weird if you count aloud.)<\/p>\n

Now with Trin, my grandson, I don’t have to worry. Yet another reason to treasure this week I’m ostensibly ‘helping out.’ My son is recovering from flu, my DIL has a conference half-way across the country, and who you gonna call? GG! Whose beloved (the granddad) is fine with sharing me, knowing I’m in 7th heaven hugging, nuzzling Trin, cooking and cooing and visiting and just loving.<\/p>\n

And that’s just fine — I don’t even care if Trin is in the throes of ‘stranger!’ It’s not about him loving me anyway ~<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m one of those weird people who is happiest when giddy with loving folks. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit this, since I get considerable flak over it from family (are you high on happy pills??). But it’s true, if I’m honest — I’m far better at loving than being loved. Probably a lot of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":398,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,301,397,1],"tags":[11,1181,1187,262,1195,1256,1248,1281],"class_list":["post-8039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-family","category-joy","category-love","category-uncategorized","tag-beginners-heart","tag-britton-gildersleeve","tag-buddhism","tag-buddhist-blogs","tag-family","tag-joy","tag-living-in-the-moment","tag-love"],"yoast_head":"\nsons, and daughters, and grandsons, and love - Beginner's Heart<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I'm one of those weird people who is happiest when giddy with loving folks. 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