SLEEP MY BEAUTIFUL CHILD!

Observation of the Day!

Larry and Owen

I had a little Nirvana today. I was riding in the backseat with my grand nephew (9mos), Owen. He was riding in is car seat, and I watched him gradually fall into slumber land. He was awake for about the first five minutes. Slowly his big blue eyes started to be covered by some droopy eyelids. Just a little at first, then there was hardly any eye showing. We would hit a small bump and the eyes would pop open and the slowly descend again. Finally it was all over, sweet dreams baby.

As I looked at Owen in all his innocence, I wondered what he was dreaming. His day is spent exploring new little things about the life that surrounds him. He doesn't really know anything. Now in sleep what does a child at this young age dream about. I imagine it just might be pure unadulterated sleep with nothing disturbing it. Kind of a peaceful vacuum of unobstructed purity.

That was the little Nirvana. The following is life's reality.

In the front seat sat his grandfather. Larry is in decline with the signs of Alzheimer's. Owen's great grandfather, Owen (Bud) Chamberlain died of the debilitating disease.

The thought occurred to me that one life is beginning, exploring new things, beginning to think and beginning to dream. Alzheimers comes at the end of a life cycle. As I sat before my father-in-law when he recognized no one, I wondered what he was thinking in that vacuum of his unobstructed mind. What was going on in his head? What, if anything, did he dream about? Was his sleep as peaceful and as carefree as Owens.

Even though Owen doesn't know much about our world yet, he will learn, grow and experience. Larry on the other hand is doing just the opposite. He will unlearn the most simple tasks. He will not be able to explore. He won't know anybody. Perhaps the vacuum of the child's brain returns to the childlike grandparent. The brains have come full circle from child to childlike.

Dreams will come to Owen. Dreams will drift away from Larry.

Have a good day and hug the babies and the grandpas.

Sam