Babies have a ripple effect. All life is interconnected, but babies seem to have an outsized influence well before they arrive. Our grandchild’s impending arrival has necessitated the complete rearrangement of rooms in our daughter and son-in-law’s condo, giving the grandparents plenty of opportunities to help.
We learned the term “machatunim” from some good friends when we lived in Milwaukee. It’s a Yiddish word for your child’s spouse’s parents. There is no corresponding word in English, but the Yiddish works just fine.
And on this particular day, Chrissy and I and our machatunim had been conscripted, quite willingly and eagerly, to paint a bedroom and stairway as part of the nesting process. Six people working in one bedroom was a bit much at first, but we eventually spread out and by the end of the day we got two coats of paint on the walls, very little on the floor, and no one fell off a ladder. It was a successful day all the way around!
After a full day’s work on brushes and rollers we had worked up a powerful thirst and hunger. As we set out to walk the few blocks to a place called Brewer’s Fork, some of us had a certain beverage made from grains, hops, and yeast on our minds.
But that thought would have to wait.
As we rounded a corner, there they were: three little girls, one tired but dedicated mom, and a pitcher of the finest made-from-powder pink lemonade you can imagine. I will always stop at a kid’s lemonade stand.
You see, it was May in New England. May is spring, but in New England that means it can be warm and summer-like one day and in the 30’s with snow flurries the next. This was one of the warm days and the girls decided to capitalize on the thirst of passersby – not for their own profit but to raise money for their elementary school. This wasn’t some school-organized fund raiser. Just three kids who wanted to help their school and one mom who returned late the night before from a business trip and was helping them make it happen instead of enjoying a much-deserved nap.
In addition to lemonade, the girls were selling handmade rubber band rings and bracelets and putting on a stunning cartwheel show for customers. Enthralled by their industriousness, we ordered up six lemonades, bought some jewelry, and watched the cartwheel performance.
We observed the ring and bracelet making process with great interest and cheered wildly for every cartwheel. The girls were energized by a big group of customers, and mom was glad that we almost finished off the lemonade.
Although we eventually made our way to delicious beer and pizza at Brewer’s Fork, the lemonade stand was the highlight of my day. As the cartwheel show went on, I looked around at our group – Chrissy, our machatunim, our son-in-law, and our daughter with our grandchild growing inside her – and it made me smile. I thought how it won’t be long before our grandchild is a grade-schooler in that neighborhood, going to the same school, and perhaps selling lemonade and doing cartwheel shows on that same sidewalk, while tired parents help make it happen.
I saw the interconnectedness of life in that moment – stretching across relatives, generations, neighbors, and friends – and it was good.
The girls were excited to have attentive customers and to make a big sale to help their school, and we got a lot more than a cup of lemonade.
Always stop at the lemonade stand.
Where Are We Going Now? 