Letter to Elizabeth – 4.23.26 – A Day at Play

EJ,

I went back and looked at the last letter I had written to you – thinking that I had written five or six letters since you were born. I had only written two – when you were born and when you were two months old. So, it’s been two years and 4 months since I have written. Where has the time gone?  That scarcity of writing has made me more determined than ever to write to you more often. At some point, you might actually read some of these letters.  And if you do, just know that they were written for me as much as for you. 

So, what has happened during the last 2-and-a-half years? You moved from Boston to Charlottesville. You walk, you run, you climb – you love to climb. Like your uncle Jack when he was your age, you are fearless.  There is almost nothing that you are not willing to try.  You started later than your brother in saying words.  However, when you did decide to talk, you went from saying almost nothing to speaking full sentences in a matter of weeks. 

You are tall.  You are athletic and strong.  And you have beautiful and expressive eyes.  One of my favorite things about you is how you furrow your brow when you are really thinking about something or you are unhappy with the current situation.  And you are finally growing hair! But like your Gizzy, you do not need hair to be beautiful. 

You have an amazing imagination. Your parents continue to do a great job of keeping you from screens. Unlike many children being raised today, your parents have created an environment that allows for boredom time. And this fosters the ability to think and create. You will learn later that there is a huge debate going on right now about “smart phones” and “tablets” decreasing the ability of our children to think.  And how “social media” is taking away the ability of our children to engage with others.  I happen to agree with those sentiments. And thankfully, so do your parents. Some countries, like Australia and Spain, are already passing laws to make it unlawful for children to have social media accounts.  We shall see how those initiatives turn out.

Liza Jean, I had so much fun with you and your brother at Disney World.  And I hope that we can do trips like that again. Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, Gizzy and I can take you and your brother to New York before Christmas.  It is a magical during that time. Our sons loved that trip when they were young. Yes, there is so much of life before you.  And hopefully, I will get to experience some of that with you. 

After you were born, your Gizzy told me that when you smile at me for the first time, I will melt.  In my last letter to you I wrote that I cannot wait to hold your warm little body next to mine and give you a kiss on your forehead. I had forgotten about that.  And in rereading that letter, I now realize that is one of my favorite things I now like to do when I hold you.

Yesterday, your uncle Jack, Gizzy and I helped your dad move some furniture from the farm to your house.  It was an uneventful and rather mundane day overall. But I did get to spend some time with you while the others were moving some heavy furniture.  We mostly colored and did some drawings, and you and I had strawberries and hot dogs for lunch. 

After Gizzy rand I returned to the Lake House, we sat on our front porch with Emmy Lou watching the sun set.  It was like copper. After the sun sank out of sight, the sky still had that copper glow. Finally, darkness arrived.  As the birds continued their chirping and chattering and night sounds began to join in, the horizon offered a subtle version of that copper glow that somehow warmed me. These moments are rare. And a vague thought entered my consciousness. I thought about our current “state of the world” and how things seem so crazy.  But as this crazy world goes spinning around – almost seemingly out of control – we have the constant sun and moments with each other. So, as I thought about that Copper Sun going down, I also thought of my time with you – today.  And this is what I wrote.

The Copper Sun 4.22.26

As our crazy world goes spinning around
I watch the copper sun go down
On our porch with dog and wife
I contemplate the meaning of life

Recalling on this mundane day
Liza Jean and I at play
An old man with a little girl
Who likes to hold her high and swirl

Because we both have no restrain 
She laughs and says let’s do it again
This little girl who brings me joy
Makes me feel like a little boy

I know one day she will be grown
And who am I to say I own
For I know now I’m on my way
To gladly giving my heart away

With unconditional love,

Papa J