Category: Family

Thirty years ago today he was born. The doctor who delivered him was called away from his son’s wedding to do so, it was apparent he had been celebrating a bit too much to be the doctor on call. But he made it and so did Raun Alexander Bruenning.

From the beginning Raun has been my laughter. He has also been so far ahead of me that it’s almost impossible to keep up. He learned to walk on his tip toes, never a good sign. He couldn’t hold still for a moment – something always had to be moving. He was the teacher’s helper in pre-school because he could put all the puzzles together by the age of 2 , while carrying on a conversation. He scored a 150 on the IQ test given to him in kindergarten. He was reading John Gresham when he was in 5^th grade.

The aliens came and took him away as they do with most teens, but he was safely returned when he was 20.  It took awhile for him to decide to go to college,  when he did, he effortlessly made the Deans List all 4 years.

He stepped into a situation that most would have run from and in doing so, he learned about himself and how to get free. He defines what being a dad is. He is “My son in whom I am well pleased!” …and he still keeps me laughing.

Raun’s story: http://hereshoping471.wordpress.com

As I spoke with my daughter this morning, she made the statement, “Look what we would have missed.” What was she speaking of?  Today, Emery is three months old. That is her developmental age, which is based on when she was released from the hospital. Her real age is just over 6 months, based on when she made her surprising entry into this world. We have friends whose little one was born three weeks after Emery, so on one hand Emery is older than her, yet she is younger. Confused? Welcome to my world!

Back to Austyn’s statement; Austyn was referring to what we would have missed if Emery would have been born around her due date, not 15 weeks early. It’s an amazing statement coming from a mom who has found herself signing release papers prior to surgery/procedures on at least six occasions. It’s an amazing statement coming from a mom who was forced to leave an 18 month old at home while making daily trips into the heart of Denver to visit her new born for more than three months.  It was an amazing statement coming from a mom who had to figure out how to move around the house holding her daughter attached to an oxygen tank. The list goes on.

It’s difficult for me to grasp this statement. It’s even more difficult for me to explain the emotions that are touched by it. What would we have missed…getting acquainted with Emery Rain Ford and watching a miracle every day of her life. What would I have missed? Watching my daughter becoming amazing.

Because of the amount of time I spent in Colorado this past fall, my grandson Liam, who was 18 months old at the time, really bonded with me. Liam learned a lot of new things during this time. He learned to give kisses. The first time we were showing his mommy, Austyn said, “Liam, can I have a kiss?” Liam leaned over and kissed me. Austyn cried and I cherished the moment.

Liam flew back to California with me on two occasions. On one of our flights back to Colorado, Liam and I were sitting in the back of the plane surrounded by empty seats, just how Neenee likes it. The beverage cart on the airplane was a wonderful discovery for Liam. That cart is a treasure chest. There are plastic cups that can stack and make a tower. The soda can top that makes a fun noise when dropped into the can; sharing Neenee’s(what he calls me)  Ginger ale, playing with ice cubes and the water puddles left after the ice cubes melt.

On this particular trip, Liam saw the beverage cart being rolled out. He almost fell out of his seat and into the isle as he watched it pass. On its return, the flight attendant – a very attractive young woman – shared a few words with Liam. When I say attractive, I mean beautiful; with or without make-up beautiful. When her tasks were completed, she made her way back to chat with us. As she leaned against the back of the seat in front of us, I caught a glimpse of Liam. His lips were puckered up and he was leaning forward, aiming right at her. Clearly Liam felt that she was worthy of a “Neenee kiss.”

I was informed by my grandson that there exists those who refer to me as mean. It’s not the first time he has felt the need to relay such information. The conversation went something like this…and by the way, the names have been changed to protect the guilty…I didn’t want to come across as too mean!

Chase: Grandma Jeannie, Jenny says you’re mean.

Me: Really?

Chase: Ya, she says you’re mean. (Clearly it was important for him to get the message across.)

Me: Well Chase, there are two kinds of mean. There is the mean where you are just a nasty person and you try to hurt other people and say bad things about them and are mean to them. Then, there are those who are mean because they want others to follow rules so that they and those around them stay safe.

Chase: That’s not mean!

Me: I know. But if you are someone who doesn’t want to follow the rules than you would think it’s mean. It’s OK that they think I’m mean. I’m OK with that.

Chase: Can we go to McDonalds?

Me: Not today, we don’t have time.

I was sitting on the playroom floor when my 17 month old grandson threw a small plastic ball at me.  Actually it was a small plastic rock that came with his nifty little front loader that I just happened to buy him, but it looked like a ball. He nailed me right between the eyes. It was like David and Goliath. Only I yelled, “OW!” and fell over laughing. From that moment on, this new game of throwing the ball at people was called, OW. No matter what Liam was throwing, if he was aiming it at a person, he would yell “OW!” as he threw it.

Of course it got worse, because the more he yelled, OW! the more we laughed and the harder he would throw.  I knew I had screwed this kid up for life. He had learned a new word but it was the wrong definition. A few months later he got a little closer to the true definition, well not really. Liam began to use the word OW whenever he felt he was being made to do something he didn’t want to, such as, being buckled into the shopping cart. As daddy would buckle him in, Liam would begin yelling, “OW! OW! OW!” as if he was being tortured. Getting buckled into the car seat produced the same response. It’s one thing to be on the floor of the playroom using the wrong definition, but being out in public draws a whole new level of interest in the wee one who is dramatically pleading, “OW! OW! OW!”

How would we ever re-teach him the meaning of OW? I’m thinking he’ll have to discover it on his own. One day when he is truly hurt, someone will say OW and he’ll put it together. It made me think of how many words I’ve had to re-learn: wealth, safety, success, happy, love, trust, commitment, to name just a few. What experiences did I have to go through before I began to understand the meaning of trust? How much did I have to lose to understand wealth? How old was I when I began to know what love looked like? And as for the meaning of life, that definition changes frequently.

At first OW was a game. It than became an uncomfortable situation. Some day it will really mean pain. It’s part of growing up. It’s part of life. Perhaps the wisdom we gain as we age isn’t really wisdom. Maybe it’s just the right definitions.

If you listen close enough, life provides the entertainment…

Chase:  Grandma, I know how to spell mom… MOM.

Grandma:  That’s right. Did you know that mom is the same if you spell it forwards or backwards? It’s just like DAD.

Dad:  That’s called a Palindrome.  Race Car is another one.

Grandma:  hmmm….you’re right.

Chase:  Race car is my password on the computer. The next time I’m on the computer, can I just type mom?

Grandma & Dad: hmmmmm……

If a five-year old can figure out that A = B and B = C   so A must = C. Why do we have to teach it in highschool?