A Small Piece Of Heaven

Persephone Simone Giles came into this world, mid-afternoon on July 4th.... in the year of our lord 2012. It was a perfectly beautiful day in every imaginable way. The sun was shining brightly, marigold flowers were in full bloom, birds were singing.... the moon, stars, and planets were all in perfect alignment, and all was right through out the known universe.

I know this as a fact, because I was there that fateful day, holding my poor screaming daughters hand.... urging her to push. My mother was on the other side of the hospital bed holding her other hand frantically urging the same thing. The pain on my daughters face told us both to go straight to hell. Then, less than thirty minutes after it began, it was over, and there in my daughters arms lay her own small piece of heaven.

She holds her baby girl lovingly as a new mother should, for what seemed like forever. Me and my mother stand waiting patiently, but longingly for our chance to hold the newest edition to our family. The birth of this baby girl is by all accounts, a very big deal. After all, she is my daughters first child, my first grandchild, and my mothers first great-grandchild.

Finally.... I have her in my swaying arms, rocking her gently from side to side. She is absolutely beautiful, the literal reincarnate of her mother. I have to fight back a tear.

My daughter has named her Persephone, after the Greek Goddess of spring. It is a fitting name for this tiny bundle of sunshine I now hold in my arms. We will call her Seph for short.... I know right then and there that me and her are going to be the best of buddies. I put my finger into her tiny hand, she gives it a gentle squeeze to let me know she feels the same.

Just then my future son-in-law steps into the room looking anxiously around for his new daughter. I hand her to him and watch as his face lights up, I totally know the feeling.

Finally..... after much effort, I am able to usher my gushing mother out of the room. It is time to let mom, dad, and baby have some alone time together. After all, this is their day.....their special time to spend together as a family for the very first time. I am so happy and proud for all of them, and just a little jealous.

Time has moved forward, and Seph has just turned three and is steadily growing like a weed. She has long since learned to walk and is talking fluently, I have even managed to teach her some sarcasm. Her energy is limitless and her curiosity knows no bounds.

Sunday is Seph and Papa day, and we both look forward to our time together to hang out. Usually I will take her to a playground or a park and just sit in the hot sun, watching her play with the other kids.... none of whom she actually knows. Being an only child has its drawbacks.

Sometimes I take her to see the latest Disney movie, where both of us usually fall a sleep before the movie ends, apparently snoring is frowned upon.

This Sunday I have something special planned, or at least I hope it will be. There is a small zoo on the east side of town, nothing fancy like the big city zoo's, but a three year old doesn't know this. The gamble pays off and she is completely captivated by all the animals she now sees in real life for the very first time.

I pat myself on the back.... I knew this would be a good idea. There are owls and hawks, deer and turkeys, a pair of alligators, and a snake house with only non venomous snakes, that the braver kids can touch and even hold.

Seph's eyes are filled with the wonder and delight that only small children are afforded.... Finally we come to the little zoo's main attraction, the black bear sanctuary. The bears are lazy creatures, they just lay there and barely even move. This does not seem to matter one bit to Seph or the other children around her, they all are smiling from ear to ear, pointing at this and that.

We end the day down at the duck pond, feeding the ducks. It's funny what a man remembers as he ages.... no doubt she has long since forgotten that first trip to the little zoo, but not me. It was a good day.

Time has moved on once more, and Seph is now six years old and the spitting image of her mother. She has already ridden her first bike and pony, and learned to swim. She is so smart, her brain is like a sponge and it just absorbs new knowledge as soon as she can obtain it. She does well in school, and reading and writing comes naturally to her as it did to her mother and myself. I am so proud of her.

She does get a little sad from time to time though, I know this because she told me so one afternoon while we were sitting on her porch steps. It gets lonely being an only child, and even though she has cousins her age that she sees often, it is not the same as having a sister or brother. I tell her she needs to be careful of what she wish's for.

"I had two little brothers growing up and it was terrible....." I jokingly say. "We had to share everything.....a room, a bed, candy, toys, and even our clothes sometimes. You got a good thing going on here Seph, be careful what you wish for girl" I finish with a smile, trying to cheer her up.

She just sighs, and then casually reach's over and hugs my neck. "Poor poor Papa" she says. I can't help but laugh a little to my self. After all.... I know something that she doesn't.

Time has passed once more, and the world has moved on once again. Seph has just turned nine and her baby brother will be three in August, and there will be a second little brother arriving in October.

Seph's little brother is always following her around and getting on her nerves. She has to keep her bedroom door locked to keep him from just busting in every two minutes. She love's him though, and even though he gets on her nerves, she still takes the time to play with him. After all, she understands his feelings of loneliness and not having anyone to play with.

I love my two daughters with all my heart, but grandchildren are special. I was twenty two when Seph's mother was born, and her sister followed exactly one year later, both their birthdays are in April. Hell.... I was just a kid myself when they were born. My girls pretty much grew up watching me grow into adulthood, a status I feel I have only recently fully attained. My two children never went hungry, but they never lived in the lap of luxury either. I have regrets.... and have made mistakes in my life.

That's the great and wonderful thing about Grandkids....You do not have to learn anything new, and you have lived long enough to have experience with life. All you have to do is be yourself and just love them. I am not quite fifty years old yet, and I will have a total of four grandchildren very soon. I am a very lucky man.

There is Seph of course, for whom this story was written. There is also my little Dino-Man Allister, and then there is my perfect little Princess Paisley, and a new arrival will be here in October. But their stories will have to be for another time.

Some men try to achieve inner peace through their religion, some through wealth and power. Me....I am most happiest just being Papa.