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Capt. R.E. and Mrs. Thalia Ludlow watched with satisfaction as their seven grandchildren bonded with their adult Lee cousins, Col. H.F. and Mrs. Maggie Lee, on a day in Jonathan Lofton Memorial Park in Big Loft, VA.

“I hope not to die while they are still children,” Capt. Ludlow said, “but now it will be easier for me to do the things I need to stay alive and well, knowing that Harry and Maggie have won their hearts and their trust.”

“Yes, I think that if we call home every day for the eight weeks of your treatment, they will be content with Harry and Maggie for that long,” Mrs. Ludlow said. “Clearly, both Harry and Maggie did make great parents to the children they lost, and will make great parents to any children they have in the future.”

“I think that for them,” Capt. Ludlow said, “this coming eight weeks may be as healing and clarifying for them as for me.”

“I know,” Mrs. Ludlow said.  “It is hard when people who love children lose their own, and you can just see they are delighted to be able to just build into their little Ludlow cousins. And, in the next eight weeks they will certainly learn if they want children of their own, and how many!”

“Harry and I have been talking about adoption rather than natural birth,” said Capt. Ludlow. “ He was raised by his grandparents and that turned out to be the best for him, and the Lees- and Jubilees-of-the-mountain have a long tradition of taking in children who were in need and raising them as members of their own families. The issue for Harry is the Lee heritage of bipolar disorder combined with his exposure to dangerous chemicals during his military service – that's a heavy potential genetic load. Meanwhile, there are many children who need adopting.”

“There are indeed,” Mrs. Ludlow said. “Maggie was telling me many of her relatives also raised extended family as well, so it's something that she and Harry agree on.  But again: we'll see if they will have the same perspective nine weeks from now!”

At that very moment, eight-year-old Edwina Ludlow was asking her Cousin Harry a question.

“Can you swim?” she said. “You look like you should be able to, Cousin Harry.”

“I can,” he said with a smile.

“But can you do synchronized swimming?” she said.

“That wasn't covered in my military training, so no,” the colonel said, “but, if it's more fashionable, I'm willing to learn.”

Edwina grinned from ear to ear.

“What people don't know is, you can practice on land, too,” she said. “Just follow me!”

Col. Lee got up with a smile and followed his little cousin's moves, inadvertently showing off the magnificent physical condition he kept himself in, to be able at age 46 to fluidly follow the eight-year-old. Mrs. Lee looked on appreciatively, and then got dragged in by seven-year-old Amanda, and after that, all the Ludlow grandchildren joined Edwina's interpretative dance about synchronized swimming.

Capt. and Mrs. Ludlow sat down and enjoyed the show and some much-needed rest, and Mrs. Ludlow sensed a great load lifting off her husband's mind and heart as his Lee cousins danced around and played with the Ludlow little ones, and all was made well for his EMDR treatment to start in the next week.