I had been overjoyed by that first magical “Ah Ha” moment, the one that connected my 2 ½ year old Grandson to Dave. It was a thumbs up instant and I gestured … “YES!” But, after the family left, while doing laundry, washing dishes and putting away toys I began to ruminate. Something was off. Something was not quite right. Something was not quite “YES!”

There, on the floor, behind the bedpost was Joey’s Magic Eight Ball. Despite my not having asked it a question, the Eight Ball had already given an answer. The answer was “NO!” 

With brow wrinkled, I whispered to myself, “Hmmm, will the connection made between Joey and Dave last?” Echoing that of the Magic Eight Ball, I said, “no :(..” As the clouds in my mind parted, I realized the connection of yesterday was only a beginning. Joey needed to know about his Grandpa Dave, the well Dave; the before he was sick and sad looking Dave; the Dave who used to boat, hike, horseback ride, swim, party, and the Dave who had been President of OSU Alumni Clubs in Cleveland and Pittsburgh for over 20 years. And I needed a way for Joey’s actions to change Dave’s sad expression. But how?

That’s when the second “Ah Ha” moment struck. In an instant I had a plan. Write a book about Dave for Joey using Eeyore and other Winnie-the-Pooh characters as the underlying theme. Each page would present a picture of Dave with the phrase, “Dave used to  “_____ and next to Dave’s picture was a Pooh character with the phrase “Just like _____” 

It took the better part of a month to create a 33 page laminated and spiral bound storybook which I gifted to Joey in December when the family came in for the holidays. Joey was thrilled with the story and repeatedly insisted I read it to him. When I suggested we read it together with Dave, Joey was exuberant. The two of us gathered around Dave’s chair as I read the story. While Dave stared at each picture, engrossed it became evident that Joey’s fear had dissipated and that all three of us enjoyed the activity. 

Can you guess what I titled the book? 

Stay tuned to learn more …