By Debra Dolan
PROMPT — I am grateful for ...
Without ever having been a mother, I am a grandmother—the great joy of being with my darling. While he co-parented a daughter who now has her own, I was reading, writing, walking to my heart’s content, traveling, grieving fruitless love affairs, and doing exactly as I pleased. I knew not what I was missing; the deep pure intemperate love for a child.
I have become playful and silly learning whimsical songs, new games, and re-reading my own 1960s favorites while discovering new children’s authors. I am completely besotted with Mabel; the sweet, magical, inspiring, curly-topped human being who calls me “DD.”
“Good morning DD.”
“I love you, DD.”
“I know, DD, I know.”
“DD, watch me.”
“DD, do you want to play with me?”
I find myself in a whole new world, awakening to what really matters—supporting children and families in our society. It now informs my political and purchasing decisions and guides me in my daily interactions. I had heard the expression “it takes a village,” yet until now, I never fully comprehended what that meant. I witness the challenges and the joys of raising a child. My life has been blessed.
Debra Dolan lives in Vancouver, Canada. A solitude seeker who will often walk for miles in search of rain. When she was 11 years, in 1969, Debra started writing regularly. At last count, she has amassed 88 volumes and 26,000 pages of journals. The "joy and challenge" of the next decade will be turning the writings into story.