New Beginning

The old man sat in a lawn chair intently observing his 3-year-old great-grandson explore the mysteries of their backyard. Spring had finally blossomed, and both plants and animals were emerging after a long and unusually harsh winter. He had seen many such transformations in his long life, but this one felt significant for some inexplicable reason.

His reverie was interrupted by a squeal of excitement as a butterfly fluttered erratically around the young boy’s head. The man watched, amused, as the boy leaped and spun in circles, vainly attempting to capture the colorful creature. All the spinning and jumping caused the lad to lose his balance and plop down on his bottom, only to discover a new wonder.

The brown tubular creature stretched and shrunk its way across the boundary between the lawn and the flower garden. It was searching for a soft patch of dirt to re-enter the earth. When the boy reached out and touched the worm, it lashed back and forth, attempting to fend off a potential predator. Stunned by the worm’s reaction to his touch, the 2-year-old rapidly withdrew his hand. The toddler uttered a cry of disapproval as the worm sought refuge under some dried leaves.

A robin swooped down from a nearby tree and landed on a branch close to this young intruder. The bird’s movement caught the boy’s attention. Forgetting all about the worm, the young explorer became fixated on the bird. Clumsily boosting himself up, the toddler ran toward the bird. The robin reacted as birds do and launched into the air, abandoning the yard for now. Instinctively, the boy ran after it, frantically flapping his arms in a futile attempt to fly after the feathered creature.

His great-grandfather studied each encounter the boy had with the backyard creatures. Wrapped in regret, the old man longed for the ability to experience the world through his grandson’s eyes. He tried in vain to remember the first time he had seen a bird or a worm, but those memories had been long ago shrouded in the mists of time. Now, the best he could hope for was to watch as his great-grandson discovered the world around him for the first time. A simple backyard excursion held unlimited discoveries and adventures for the boy, but what about him?

He went back to watching his great-grandson when a new thought occurred to him. He could not read the boy’s mind, but he could share the experience nonetheless. The old man rose from his chair. He walked to the edge of the yard, where his great-grandson was mesmerized by a spider weaving its web.

“What’s he making, Grampy?”

“It’s called a web, Lucca.”

“Why is he making it?”

“The spider creates a web, so bugs and flies will get caught in it. This is how the spider catches his food.”

“Spiders eat bugs? Yuck! They must really taste bad.”

“The spiders don’t think so. If you were a spider, you would think they were deeeelicious.” He reached over and tickled the boy's belly.

The boy laughed at the way his great-grandad said that word. The sound of his laughter was a special treat that the old man could never get enough of.

“Lucca, come with me. I want to show you something.”

The two walked to the back of the yard, where an ancient oak stood tall and strong.

“I know you can’t read yet, but can you see those letters carved into the tree?”

Lucca stared intently at the letters. “What do they say, Grampy?”

“When I was your age, my grandfather took me to this tree and carved his name in it, then carved mine right below his. Now I’m going to carve your name right below mine. Someday, if you have children, you can put their names below yours. Do you think you can remember this tree, Lucca?”

“I’ll remember it, Grampy. It’s our tree.”

Once again, one life’s journey will finish and another’s will start at the same point.