Striking a Balance

Whether it is a rite of passage or simply the order of hand-me-downs, I never realized how many items we have tagged as being Grant's until Ani began to use them.  Granty's monkey seat, Grant's tummy time mat (even though it first belong to Alexa), even Granty's room.....  Poor Ani is going to develop a complex about having any possessions of her own!  I have begun to ask myself, at what point do we drop Granty's association with these items?

I did not realize what a tough balance even the simple things, like ownership of a monkey bouncy seat, would become after the loss of Grant.  Some of the most mundane tasks become difficult decisions as I try to strike the perfect balance between the past and the present.  As Damon can attest, I spent hours grappling with the best way to sign our family Christmas card this year (include Grant's name?).  Even a Google search does not produce a helpful result when looking for the proper etiquette after losing a child.  So much for the Internet having an answer for everything!

When the Internet search produced no valid results, I realized that like everything else we've encountered, there is no playbook nor right or wrong answers.  We will simply have to go with our gut feelings of what is the best way to ensure mindful remembrance of Granty without losing sight of the present.  Despite the mundane nature of the situations, this is not an easy task, but I think we're up to the challenge.

The original owner of the monkey seat....

Now being enjoyed by his little sister.