She searches for me,
and when she finds me,
she smiles and says,
“Gramma Karen, come.”
Being invited into her world
feels like the greatest honor,
ever.
Bigger than an Oscar.
Bigger than a Nobel prize.
Bigger than a Pulitzer.

She clasps her little hand
in mine, trusting me
to get her safely across
the road, and looks up at me,
and we grin at each other
in mutual adoration.

There is nothing better than this.
-Karen Molenaar Terrell