My Rock A By Grandma

December 10, 2012

Today has been a typical Monday for me. Up by 6:30 with a silly kitty meowing at the bedroom door. Rushed out the door to get to work on time. Playing tractors and cars while Disney Toons play. Lunch time and then preparing for nap time. Carson the 2 year old went down a lot easier than usual. He loves to read Christmas books before nap so after 2 of them he went down pretty fast. Conner still needed a bottle and some time to get sleepy. I decided to sit in the rocking chair and rock him to help him get to a calm sleeping state. As i did so he was still crying and the "Rock a by" song Grandma Palmer used to sing to me came flooding back into my mind. As i began to sing the song Conner stopped crying and began to get sleepy. By the second time through tears began to fill my eyes and roll down my cheeks as i remembered my late Grandmother rocking me as a child and all my cousins as children were rocked by her while singing this song. That song is magical! To this day although i am 25 and haven't been Rock A Byed for many years, i knew that song word for word and it was as if she was in the room with me singing it to this little fussing boy. I felt her spirit with me and i knew she recognized my love for her and how much i miss her. 

I have no idea how my grandpa is dealing with her being gone. I have my moments (especially during the holidays) when i miss her so much. It makes me so grateful for the plan of salvation and the joy that one day, we will all experience, when our loved ones are returned to us. What a joyous day that will be! 

I've come to understand that people come in and out of our lives for all sorts of reasons. It is up to each of us to reach out and grasp the moments we have with them and keep them in our hearts, to learn from them, and when opportunity knocks use them to bless the lives of others by example or just by sharing them. Who knows how my grandma learned of that rock a by song, perhaps her mother or grandmother sang it to her. All i know is that because of her willingness to share that simple rock a by song it has been something that will connect us forever. Thank you grandma for always being so willing to rock a by any child, for we are all in need to be rock a byed sometimes. 

Rock a by, don't you cry, and we will go to grandma's house.
Up the hill around the mill to see the little lambies.
Peek a boo! I see you, and i know where you are,
You're on the floor behind the door, now i know where you are!
BOOM BOOM!