Grace did not have school today (Yom Kippur) and other than a breakfast meeting and two conference calls I mostly played hooky to hang out with her. This morning we baked carrot cake (more on that in a minute) and then she did some projects. She drew a picture that will be turned into a plate. There was one piece of paper left and she chose to make a plate for Whit, which she described as a “robot party.”
I am charmed by the picture and also by her choice to make something for her brother. I think this will be her Christmas present for Whit. Then she strung some letter beads onto a string to make a necklace that said “Gracie Eldredge Russell.”
She then added beads to say “Gracie Eldredge Russell Nana Eldredge” – really adorable.
Grace and I biked down to Stone Hearth Pizza on Mass Ave for lunch. And yes, to the inevitable chagrin of the airplane-poo-pooing mothers, I took Grace biking in traffic on main streets. We did it yesterday en route to the farmer’s market and we did it today. She is confident and capable on the bike, and I am certain that she can follow me closely and carefully. At the farmer’s market we stocked up on squash, lettuce, apples, carrots, and beets, and a small pumpkin for the front stoop.
The carrot cake joins the squash soup and salad I made last night in becoming a meal for On the Rise. On the Rise is a day shelter for women living in crisis or homeless. Grace and I will deliver the meal this evening and they will serve it tomorrow. As we baked our carrot cake this morning, we talked about who we were cooking for. Gracie wanted to understand who these women were and why they were “not safe” (which is the language I used to describe their situation). Finally she pestered me enough that I said that some of them might be in situations where they are being hit or hurt by people they love. Her brown eyes opened incredibly wide and she started at me. I was swamped with a sense of her naivete and a deep desire to protect her from ever, ever being hurt. We talked more about what it means to keep people safe and to be good to each other. I am grateful for the lesson that this provides for her and look forward to cooking for these women on a monthly basis. I continue to search for volunteer opportunities that will give Grace (and, eventually, Whit) direct experience with the groups she is helping. We will continue with Cradles to Crayons and I will keep looking!