I woke up and remembered that I had a missed a call from my Grandma the day before. I rang her back and got her answering machine. Where was she? Did she go out? We told her not to go anywhere!
Within minutes, she was calling me back. I let out a sigh of relief.
“Jessica? How are you?” she says.
I raise my volume and let her know that we are fine. I ask how she is doing and she quickly fills me in, telling me that she’s been staying home, but is doing things “round and round.” She has gone outside in the yard. “You can’t just sit and do nothing.”
“Where’s Rose?” she asks. “I miss Rose.”
I silently wave Rose over. “Grandma wants to talk to you,” I whisper and her face lights up.
“Hi Grandma!” she says, instinctively raising her volume. These requests to talk to Rose happen every time I call my Grandma, so Rose knows the drill.
“I miss you,” Grandma says. “Do you miss me too?” We all need a little reassurance that we matter.
“I miss you,” Rose says, her smile wide. “This much,” she adds, stretching her arms out as wide as they will go.
“I love you,” Grandma responds.
“I love you more,” Rose replies and begins blowing kisses to the phone.
“That’s how we do it,” my Grandma tells me. This is their routine.
I’m glad that they can keep it up, even if it’s just over the phone right now.
Where There Is Joy 
So lucky for you all to have each other…even if over the phone for now. Hope the time apart is over soon.
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This is how we do it for now. Keeping connected is so important.
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Even with social distancing we can keep in touch. I love that Grandma and Rose have this special relationship. Keep your loved ones close.
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So sweet! “We all need a little reassurance that we matter.” You wove this gem of a line in beautifully. It adds such power and meaning to simple conversation. Love it!
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Such a sweet relationship they have and I love that your Grandma says this is their routine. As I read this, as soon as you had your Grandma’s speech come in, I could hear her voice- literally, and I have only met her a handful of times.
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I love the hands overlapping! What a precious keepsake.
Parents and grandparent can give us a jolt every now and then when they don’t answer- I think they secretly do this to us to pay us back for the sleepless nights we caused them!
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These moments are just beautiful, even if they have to be over the phone right now. I know how much I’m missing my visits to my dad’s, but I’m calling him every day (sometimes twice). It’s nice to hear his voice. I can only imagine how nice it is for your grandmother to hear Rose say how much she misses her. We need to find ways to stay connected during these times of social distancing.
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I love the connectedness between your daughter and your grandmother. Know you matter and being loved are so important. Maybe we are supposed to take advantage of this time and get more connected with others if only over the phone. Thanks for sharing. This made me smile.
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This slice is just so precious! What a great bond they have. I got chills with the final picture you shared too.
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Didn’t know I was missing this kind of tenderness in my day until now. “That’s how we do it” makes my heart swell with emotion.
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This is so sweet! How lucky your daughter is to have the bond with your grandma. Hoping their hands will be able to overlap in person and not through a device soon!
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“That’s how we do it.” What a perfect phrase. I love the image of Rose stretching her arms out; even though her great-grandma couldn’t see, she already knew what was happening. Wonderful tender moment.
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Thank goodness for virtual connections!
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The sweet hands! She is lucky – they are lucky.
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The hands are a treasure, and so is that conversation. I love the instinctive voice raising, and I loved the we all need reassurance line. Even at whatever age she must be, it’s still nice to hear the echo after you say something that makes you vulnerable. Beautiful post. Now I should call my mom and make sure she’s not going out on the town!
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