This is the story of the rich life of Mr. Esmond Allock who has 71 descendants, among which the youngest Esmond, his namesake who is actually his great-great-grandson. Mr. Allock who was born outside of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, is 108 years old.
Jenna, baby Esmond’s mother, says she was lucky to have a person like her great-grandfather in her life, for he is indeed a really special person who was worth for her son to be named after him.
She remembers spending fun time with him when she was just a little girl. While she was learning to walk, she would make the lovely man hold her hands and help her put one leg in front of the other in order to take her very first steps. She recalls crawling up to him and saying “Walk, Walk” and that would be enough for her great-grandfather to take her in his arms.
When Jenna was pregnant with her second child she learned that he told his wife, Jenna’s great-grandmother, how he had so many descendants but no one would name their children after him. He seemed to be a bit devastated because of that, so Jenna knew exactly what to do. She told her husband she wanted to name their son after the great-grandfather and the husband liked both the idea and the name.
When the baby was born, they couldn’t wait for the namesakes to meet for the first time. Jenna was excited because of the meeting because she knew it would be something special. The most unusual thing was the age gap of 107 years between these two people Jenna loved the most.
When they arrived at the house, the elderly man felt instant affection towards the sweet baby, although he had difficulties remembering Jenna. After she tried to explain to him who she was, he recalled the days he spent with his ‘walk walk’ girl.
His wish of a baby to be named after him was fulfilled and he was happy beyond words. He made sure they knew how much that meant to him, but he was not aware how much it actually meant to Jenna.
The two Esmonds meeting for the first time is one of those moments in life that are cherished forever. Jenna can’t wait for the next meeting with the lovely man who made her childhood memorable and fun.
MJ Grant is a young woman whose mom and dad are both deaf. This means the only way she can communicate with them is using sign language that MJ mastered. She now works as a sign language interpreter and loves spending time with her mother who is sadly suffering from a severe case of dementia.
Although Carmen’s condition is getting worse over time, MJ never stops reminding her loving mother how much she loves her, even when she doesn’t recognize her.
One winter day, these mother and daughter were spending a day at the beach when MJ’s camera took the sweetest moment that is now going viral and stealing the hearts of many.
The two were having a conversation (in a sign language) about some friends they have in common, when Carmen asked MJ who her mother was. It’s pretty awesome how gently MJ handles these situations when her mother is totally confused about the world around her. This loving daughter never gets tired of carefully guiding her mother to the correct answers. It wasn’t any different this time either.
Once Carmen is encouraged to recall who MJ’s mother is, she is left with tears in her eyes realizing it’s her who gave birth to this awesome young lady. This brings so much joy in both of them, and they share a unique moment until Carmen goes back into the foggy recess of this cruel disease.
However, those moments the two have together are enough for MJ to remind her mother of the happy times they shared and help her catch glimpses of her life.
