Good - Letters from a Suffering Grandfather to His Deaf Grandson

The birth of your child

Dear "Sam"

I have to say that my life has changed since my granddaughter was born. My granddaughter's mother's life, and my daughter's life have changed even more. ' When my granddaughter was about to be born, I learned that she would have to have a C-section. As my grandfather waited at the hospital to give birth to my granddaughter, I remembered when I was young, waiting in the hospital for my granddaughter's mother, "Debbie." When my grandmother gave birth to "Debbie," "Debbie" had just given birth to her eldest daughter, "Ali." The two daughters are very close. They are almost a year apart. Every time these daughters come into the world, they protect these daughters.

My parents vowed to take care of me and do their best to make my life better. Every parent is like that.

When my granddaughter's mother was old enough to walk, she had dark hair, brown eyes, round and wide, and was very cute. On my grandfather's desk, there was a photo of the two sisters standing on the beach, holding hands. In the photo, "Debbie" was 3 years old and "Ali" was 4 years old. "Debbie" was like her sister "Ali's shadow," following her sister wherever she went and doing whatever she did.

My granddaughter’s mother, “Debbie,” had always been curious about what was going on in her grandfather’s mind and soul since she was a child. Before her grandfather’s accident, she remembered a time when her daughter, “Debbie,” had been taken to the hospital for a spinal cord injury. As they watched their grandfather writhe and writhe in pain in the hospital, “Debbie” asked them what they were worried about. But when they told her that they were worried about the sore throat that had been treated with medication, the daughter didn’t believe them. She said that she was not being honest, that she was really worried about something. She said it as if she knew something. So, what was the matter?

"What's really scary is that your daughter is going to die right here, isn't it?"

(Actually, it was my daughter who said that. I think it was too obvious for my daughter to notice my father's excessive concern.)

I remember another incident. Debbie was six years old. My grandfather was a doctor and he treated patients at home. One evening, he had an appointment to see a patient, so he was combing his hair in front of the dressing table. Thinking that my daughter was asleep, I sat down in front of the dressing table and watched him work. My grandfather was also upset that his hair was gradually thinning, and he only had a little hair left at the back of his head, smiling.

"What are you worried about when you meet a patient, Dad, that you take such good care of him?"

"I don't know, Dad." "Not yet. The patient is just another human being."

After thinking about it carefully, I realized that my daughter's words were true. I realized that my behavior was excessive.

Because she looked at her father in this way and unknowingly pointed out his shortcomings, this little girl, Debbie, became like a mirror image of her father.

As this little girl grew up, her father, who was supposed to protect her, was in a car accident when she was 6 years old and had to live in a wheelchair. Since then, the girl has experienced many hardships. During her teenage years, her feelings and suffering seem to have accumulated. And although she still smiles, her smile is not genuine. Her needs and desires have become silent. .

Unexpectedly, the grandson and daughter met, and they fell in love. They were so happy to see their grandfather. Don't tell me.

My grandpa is also a good man. Although he struggled as a child, he is now a kind, loving, and reliable woman, so my grandfather can breathe a sigh of relief.

Seeing his daughter so beautiful and so happy after getting married, his grandfather thought, "Now I have another chance to be happy in my life."

Soon, when my daughter became a mother and became pregnant with my grandson, she became my grandfather's teacher. My grandfather began to sit next to the telephone and start to cry.

I prayed as I watched the pregnancy progress. And so, when the day came for my grandson, “Sam,” to be born, my daughter came to the hospital and was greeted by her three children: Grandpa, Uncle “Sandy,” and Grandpa’s father. As we waited outside the operating room for 90 minutes, the doctor performed the cesarean section, and my heart was pounding.

The doctor came out and called the grandson's father to come in. The grandson's father came out again and said that a son had been born, that both the baby and the mother were healthy, and that the grandfather and grandmother had to come in to see him.

The daughter I hadn't seen for two hours was now a mother. She was a different person. She seemed more stable, more mature.

Yes.

A grandson is a gift of love. A brand new human being, born from the love of a father and son who have been through a lot of pain.

kind regards

Grandpa "Rotten"

Asking for your wisdom back.

Dear "Sam"

You and your parents have businesses. Let's talk about your parents' businesses for a moment, and then we'll talk about your grandson's business.

The job of a grandchild's parents is to love and protect their grandchildren as best they can. To understand you, to share your laughter. Grandparents hope that both of them will give you roots and wings. When you give them roots, you will have love, security, and care. You will truly understand who you are. When you give them wings, you will be able to think for yourself and explore your heart, your mind, and the world around you.

Okay, let's talk about your job, your grandson's job. In Jewish religious teaching, it is said that from the moment a child is born, God instills in that child all the knowledge and wisdom that he will need for his life. Then God puts his finger on the child's lips and makes a sign saying "Shuh," which is a sign that God has formed a secret alliance between him and the child. So every child has a word written on their upper lip.

It is said that God's finger has left a mark to protect us.

But as the years pass, purity and wisdom are eroded. Children become corrupt through the molding of experience. Life changes something else.

Many years ago, I hired a middle-aged man to fix the windows of my grandfather's house. He spoke Italian and said that he was a Jew by religion. My grandfather became more interested. The last letter of the Italian name was Italian. My grandfather had never met a Jew among those Italians. He was a very intelligent man, and he seemed to be able to see things deeply and see things clearly.

According to the conversation with him, he was a young man from Rome, and when he was young he wanted to be a religious leader and preacher. "Life is funny. A man who wanted to be a religious leader since he was young has now moved from Rome to New Jersey, America, and is working as a stagehand."

He looked up at the sky, thought for a moment, and then continued:

"I think we are born with a square life and end up with a circle life when we die," his words are thought-provoking.

My grandfather thinks so. When the worldly waters of life hit our grandfathers and human beings, it seemed that the four corners of the original form were destroyed. That was also a good thing. It was a wonderful opportunity to change into a new form, a new appearance.

Some parts of the great wisdom that we were born with have been lost in the waves of this world. The evidence that this wisdom existed is certainly still there, right under our noses, with our ancestors.

So, your grandson's job is to reclaim the wisdom you've always had, trusting in your own innate abilities and following the secret covenant between you and God.

kind regards

Grandpa "Rotten"

With my precious grandson "Sam"

To all the "Sams" in the world

May their pain open our hearts and find compassion for them, and a bond of attachment for us.