Earlier this week one of the people who is helping me with my book said, “I want to meet the famous Chloe”. I assume she has found many references to my granddaughter while reading through all the things I have written. It is not unusual for me to encounter people in my office and be asked about Chloe and how she is doing. I have been writing about her since she was only a few weeks old. Chloe is now eight years old and quite the little lady. She is a wonderful blend of childlike wonder and innocence with a Zen like presence to the moment that only a child can have. Her birth and entry into my life was just what I needed. I have never really been what you might consider great with children. I found parenthood very difficult. Chloe and I, however, seemed to bond almost immediately. Maybe it’s because she is a girl and I never had a daughter. From the day she was born, and to this day, I still get excited every time I get to see her. Whatever age she is, I want her to stay that age forever. Compared to her early years she now seems so grown up. We have wonderful conversations whenever she comes to my house for a weekend. Her favorite thing to do with me is what she calls “playing the game”. I am a big fan of the rock band called the Grateful Dead. I have a doll of Jerry Garcia, their lead guitar player. When Chloe comes over she will bring me the doll and say, “You be Jerry, Paw Paw”. We then get on the floor directly in front of my fake wood burning stove. That’s her favorite place to sit because of the warmth it provides. In the same corner are all of the stuffed animals that she leaves at my house. We then “play the game” with Jerry and his animal friends. Chloe is like the director of a movie and I am an actor. It is very important that I stay in character. If I stop being Jerry and start being Paw Paw, she calls me out. My Jerry Garcia doll usually survives all of this but Paw Paw sometimes struggles to get up off the floor. I'll be "playing the game" this weekend. Pictured above is one of my favorite photos of Chloe and me. Jerry is sitting in my lap.
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