A Message from Little Helen

For those of you who were so sweet to write a comment recently on my post, "The Ejection Fraction of Love," I wanted to give you an update on how your kind words and thoughts really helped.

The day before yesterday, I talked to my mom and she and my grandma were at the doctor's again, for another round of tests. My grandma is out of the hospital and has been staying with my mom, but it seems like the docs still haven't really figured out Grandma's medications and she really isn't feeling that well yet.

They were sitting in the waiting room and my mom was whispering in the phone to me. I could hear the tiredness and frustration in her voice. She told me that Grandma has been crying--she's just so tired of being sick, and she's frightened.

I told my mom that as soon as they got back home, that she should read Grandma the post I had written about her, not so much my story, but to see all of the wonderful comments that YOU had written back.

So she did.

***

I talked with my grandma last night after work, to check in with her. I asked her if Mom had read the post and your comments to her, and immediately her voice brightened. She was SO happy--really, she was. I told her that people wrote to her from Paris and New York and the Phillipines and Scotland and Morocco and all over the USA, and I could hear the astonishment and wonder in her voice, unmasked.

I asked her if she wanted to dictate a personal message that I could post on her behalf, and this is what Grandma wanted you to know:

"Hello, all you wonderful people out there in the world. Thank you so much for your wonderful messages. You made me so happy. You have no idea how much they helped to perk up an old lady! I am so grateful that you cared about me and wrote to me. You made me feel so much better. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

So, my friends, what can I add to that, except thank you from the bottom of my heart, too.

***

PS. Setting the historical record straight: Grandma wanted you to know that she was three years old when that photo was taken, and that her mother made her dress and knitted her little socks. The dress was made of black velvet.

She doesn't know for sure if she won any money in the Beautiful Child contest, but she did win a little trophy. At some point, burglars broke into the house and stole the trophy (!) and her mother was heartbroken. So my grandma never remembered seeing the trophy because it all happened when she was so young, but she's still very proud of the photo and is super thrilled you liked it, too.