I Am A Grandmother - "Goooooooo Huskies!"

The question, “Are there coincidences?” could be debated for hours.  Is life just a toss of the dice, or is there an order, a plan?  In hindsight, it always looks like there has been a path but the future is never as clear as the past! 

One coincidence that occurred after our move to San Pedro is that our grandson, Gabriel, who was entering sixth grade, “middle school,” was enrolled in a new school that just happened to be in…San Pedro!  What a coincidence!  When he was accepted into the school, he called us and said… "Now you can pick me up from school!”  And we do, at least once a week.  It also means we can easily attend his extra-curricular activities.

Gabriel is a child that is full of energy 

Gabriel - 21 months - running!

and he is passionate about his activities.  Whether it is working on his math, singing a song, telling a story, or playing a sport, he always “tries his best” and gives it 110%.  He LOVES sports and through the years we have attended many baseball,  hockey, and soccer games.   

Gabriel - 5 years old - Soccer

This year, he signed up for his school’s soccer team and we are now RHP Huskie fans!  Last Friday we attended his first game.

 

We cheered and yelled. It was very hot, but that did not deter his effort! 

 

 Even though they did not win, Gabe “played his best” and “supported his team!”

Most of his fan club was there…including his mother and grandmother, Basillia.    

In 1958, Harry Belafonte recorded a song, “Turn Around” and many times during the years, the words have echoed in my head and my heart as I have watched my own sons and now my grandsons live through life’s passages.  The feelings it brings are always “bittersweet.”  It is the awareness of the passage of time and the reminder to “pay attention” to the moment, to be fully present because my life is not a destination, it is the journey.  It is what is happening right now…in front of me.  So, I watch my grandson and drink him in with my eyes.  I watch him enter adolescence.  I watch him comb his hair a certain way, "like David Beckham."  I watch him asked to be called "Gabe, not Gabriel or Gabey."  I see him look surreptitiously at a pretty girl.  I see and I hold tight to the vision, because...time passes just too quickly!

Where are you going, my little one, little one
Where are you going, my baby, my own?
Turn around and you're two, turn around and you're four
Turn around and you're a young girl (BOY) going out of my door