Not just a hat

To some people it's just a beautiful baby in a cute hat. But this picture to me is a perfect moment.

The Peach Hat

The year you were born Great Grandma Ruth turned 80. It was hard for her to think about all the moments of your live she would miss. In my whole life the only major event she missed was my college graduation because it was the same day as cousin Dana's. She didn't want to pick one over the other so she didn't go to either one. She's always careful to make sure that no one appears to be favored over anyone else. She even counts the pictures in her house to make sure there is not one extra picture of any one grandchild.

On a cool October day Great Grandma Ruth came to visit you. She wanted to make sure for the cold Wisconsin winter you had some warm hats. Many of the Pindel women are fantastic knitters but Great Grandma can't knit well anymore so she had a 90 year old cousin knit this beautiful hat.

She was so proud of you that you could sit up so straight all by yourself and play with your toys. You two had a great talk about how big you were getting while you smiled and cooed at her. I haven't seen her smile so big in a long time. She even got down on the floor to play with you which gets harder and harder to do when you get older. Then she held you while you stood up and made a silly noise that made you laugh and laugh. It caught her off guard and she laughed so hard. The look on her face told me that your little laugh was a perfect moment for her that she would not forget.

While you played this fun game with her I thought of how afraid she is that you won't remember her when she leaves this world. I thought about all the things I want you to always remember about your Great Grandma Ruth:

-She is generous

-She is supportive. Anytime I have had a problem or question in my life I knew I could call Grandma and Grandpa P and they would have answers or resources for me or at the very least sympathy.

-Religion is very important to her and because of her influence in my life you will get to experience Sunday School, church picnics, vacation Bible school and all the things I didn't get to do growing up.

- She is an avid reader of any book, magazine, or newspaper story about nutrition. Wonder if that somehow helped steer my career path.

-She had a hard life that she has only recently started sharing with me, so although she has a very loving heart it is sometimes hard for her to show it to her children. She told me once that she wished she could have done that better with her children. She has made so much progress and you will only see this softer side of her.

-She believes in angels, that's why she gave you that beautiful picture for your Baptism gift. I think she wanted you to have it so that when she does pass you can think of her whenever you see it and know that she will always be watching over you.