1970 and 2010

Tom reminded me that exactly 40 years ago, in 1970, I left the U.S. and DePauw University to study abroad for a year. I was supposed to go to the University of Madrid in Spain for a semester, then to Dijon, France for a semester. But at the end of the first semester I was really getting into Spanish and my classes at the university. I also had a great roommate, Julia, and I wanted to spend more time with her. So I stayed in Madrid and bypassed the chance to improve my French. That was the right decision for me at the time. Had I known I would have a son, and he would marry a French woman...

So here I am, 40 years later, off on my own again. This time I'm not here to study the language, although I try to learn some new phrase or words every day. This time I'm studying one small face, unintelligible grunts and squeaks (What does that mean? Is she hungry? Is she sleepy? Do we need to change her diaper?), two tiny hands with adorable dimples at the base of the fingers, skinny legs and skinny feet, blue eyes (at least for now), reddish brown hair that her mother swears is getting lighter, and the most beautiful smile in the whole world.

I plan to keep on studying this particular subject for the rest of my life. Juliet is American as well as French, and I know Jeanne and Matthew will make sure she knows both sides of her family. Jeanne's family has always made Tom and me feel so much at home in France, and our lives have been enriched by interacting with our "French family". When Tom retires we will spend more time in France to be near our granddaughter, son and daughter-in-law. (I love the French words for daughter-in-law: belle fille , or beautiful daughter.)

When I think back to the twenty-year-old student I was in 1970, it's hard to imagine what that young woman thought her life would be like. If she imagined herself in France in 2010, it was probably as the translator for the French President! Instead, I'm here as "Grandma". And I've never been happier. Life is amazing. I guess the trick is to want what you get.