Tag Archives: grandchildren

Legacy

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

Legacy

By Nandy Ekle

 

Genealogy is a pretty popular pastime. A lot of people crave to know something about their past, their ancestors, and where it all started. And it’s really interesting to discover where certain traits have come from.

I must admit, while I’ve never been interested enough in my family lines to actually sit and do all the research, I enjoy hearing what other people have found about us. I have an aunt who has recently done a little bit of digging and claims my father’s family has connections to John Steinbeck. And, even though John Steinbeck has never been one of my favorite authors, I kind of like the idea of having a distant blood tie to a respected American author—sort of like maybe I inherited my fascination with words.

But I have learned an even more heart warming fact during the past few years. As my grandchildren grow up and begin showing their own little personalities, interests, and talents, I have seen some marvelous things develop. They all five like to write stories. I have seen and heard them. They tell stories, they draw stories, they act out stories. And their tales are unique and clever.

It’s an encouraging thing to know the writing gene is moving on through you.

Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.

 

Grand Week

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

Grand Week

By Nandy Ekle

This week has been a very special week for us. For the first time, we have had all of our grandchildren with us. And let me tell you, it has been a great Grand Week. Our oldest is six years old and the youngest is twelve months. And watching them all laugh and play, sing and dance has been an extremely amazing event for us.

One of the wonders of this week, other than the obvious of just having them close to us and enjoying their interactions with each other has been their games. They all have super busy imaginations and they came up with some of the most creative ideas I’ve ever heard. The girls put together a singing group and practiced a specific song until they were comfortable enough to sing it in public and even have a grand finale ending. The boys played cars and car tracks. They all colored pictures and drew on paper. And Nana read stories.

So what does this have to do with inspiration for writing (other than gloating that I got to keep the grands this week)? Listening to the stories the kids made up sparked my own imagination. Each game they played, each song they sang, each story they told stuck in my own head and took a corner to mature in. And, of course, they will get all credit for the ideas they gave their nana.

If your imagination feels like it’s running dry, spend a few days listening to children play together. The well of ideas will suddenly grow too deep to keep up with it.

Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.

Grand Week

Posted on by
Reply

POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

Grand Week

By Nandy Ekle

This week has been a very special week for us. For the first time, we have had all of our grandchildren with us. And let me tell you, it has been a great Grand Week. Our oldest is six years old and the youngest is twelve months. And watching them all laugh and play, sing and dance has been an extremely amazing event for us.

One of the wonders of this week, other than the obvious of just having them close to us and enjoying their interactions with each other has been their games. They all have super busy imaginations and they came up with some of the most creative ideas I’ve ever heard. The girls put together a singing group and practiced a specific song until they were comfortable enough to sing it in public and even have a grand finale ending. The boys played cars and car tracks. They all colored pictures and drew on paper. And Nana read stories.

So what does this have to do with inspiration for writing (other than gloating that I got to keep the grands this week)? Listening to the stories the kids made up sparked my own imagination. Each game they played, each song they sang, each story they told stuck in my own head and took a corner to mature in. And, of course, they will get all credit for the ideas they gave their nana.

If your imagination feels like it’s running dry, spend a few days listening to children play together. The well of ideas will suddenly grow too deep to keep up with it.

Congratulations. You have just received a post card from the muse.