Somebody Else’s Day Brightener

Most mornings I wake up and, through the sleep in my eyes and the grogginess that brings a new day, I manage to brighten up when I see each of my girls first smiles.  Mallory’s come the minute she pops up from downstairs and Mikayla’s can be heard through the giggles she gives to let me know she is awake.   Each smile brightens my day.

There is a table of 4 women and one man who sit everyday, around noon, and have a cup of coffee in the Bistro at the nursing home where my mom lives.  They live in assisted living, so their abilities are far greater then my mom’s.  In fact a few of them help my mom with some of the social activities that take place during the week.  My mom never fails to finish a conversation without talking about Mallory or her “red headed granddaughter” so it was no surprise a few months ago when they flagged me down to meet the two girls my mom talks so highly of.  The weeks and months have gone by and each weekend afternoon when we leave my mom’s, we stop and say hello to the group of ladies and Jim, the just love it.  The love talking to Mallory and they love oodlling over Mikayla. 

They told me Jim “loves babies” so I usually park the stroller in front of him so he can tickle her toes and talk to her.  Jim is quiet, and from what I gather, might be suffering from dementia.  This past Sunday, I unbuckled Mikayla, and bent down next to Jim.  “Would you like to hold her, Jim?”  “He would love to!” One of the other women said (I guess this goes to show that women, no matter what their age, can always out talk a man). 

I put her down in his lap and it was so peaceful.  He rubbed her legs. He talked quietly.  She looked up at him and giggled when she felt his scratchy, almost there, beard hairs.  A few minutes later Mikayla’s calm was all done, and she wanted to get down. I took her from Jim and he looked at me and smiled.

“You made his day,” one lady said.  She didn’t need to say it, because I already knew Mikayla had.  His smile told a story.  And in that moment I realized that Mikayla was Somebody Else's Day Brightener.  And all she had to do was be her little baby self, an amazing gift.