Life doesn’t get any better than this. We just got two phone calls tonight – one
was from our 13-year old grandson and the other was from our 21-month old grandson just learning to talk. His mother said he picked up his play phone and started calling our names in it, “PaPa” “Gamma”. It makes our hearts burst with love when our grandchildren miss us so much they want to talk to us (even the baby). My grandson said once he wanted to call us because he needed a Grandma fix. My grandmother was one of the most important people in my life growing up and I still carry warm memories of those days. I’ve written some posts about her – go to That Special Someone, Ghosts or Plain Talk. Now, I feel that I’m following in her footsteps with our grandchildren and making memories with them.
Our children live in rural Denver and we live in the mountains outside of Denver and the grandchildren come up and spend weekends with us on a regular basis. They have done this for most of their lives and we have built that bond. It’s so special to have that time with just them not to mention giving their parents a break. We play with them and catch up with what’s going on in their lives. There is a long hill down our backyard and when it snows they get out the sleds and slide down the hill a good part of the day. We go for walks and they sleep out on the deck in the summer in their tent looking at the stars. Yes, making memories.
What is it with raising children? That time of our life we’re building our families, a home and working. Between all the responsibilities, jobs, school, homework, errands, 15 years fly by and their almost grown. Then, you go through the milestones of puberty, driving, falling in love, broken hearts, graduation, college, marriage and……ahhh grandchildren. You wonder where the time went while you were trying to figure it all out. But, when the grandchildren come, it’s like you have a second chance at that children thing only in a different way. That’s when you can relax and truly love all the stages, the moods, the diaper changing – and I’m in heaven.
I realize some of you out there reading this just can’t relate. You’re not even in the children phase no less the grandchildren phase and may not even want to entertain it. That’s fine and I honor that. But let me indulge a little – humor me. It’s not just the children and grandchildren thing – it’s family. You’re making memories with a new generation that will stay with them forever. Go back in time, in your own life as a child, can’t you remember laughing and playing? What was your fondest memory as a child? Was it a puppy you had or being tucked into bed and read a story every night. Or maybe it was Christmas when you couldn’t go to sleep at night excited for Santa to come. We all have memories and there are those special people in our lives that create that world of imagination for us that we can recall at any time and with it come the feelings.
When your life seems to be spiraling out of control and you’re worrying about the bills, leaky roofs or losing a job, life comes around and knocks on your door and reminds you of the importance of appreciating what you have. What I was reminded of tonight was of the love of our grandchildren and how blessed I am. Family fills my heart with so much love and that’s what we’re living for – sharing that love with one another and passing on the torch. Take time today to hug the ones you love and tell them how glad you are that they’re in your life.
From the kitchen table – Pat
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What a wonderful story. Our oldest granddaughter is 7 years old. She will borrow her mom’s phone and call to talk to grandma or grandpa at least once a week. Those are sweet memories. The youngest granddaughter called a couple of times by punching in whatever number is on the speed dail of her mom’s phone. She was only 3 at the time. It was always a reason to laugh and ask to speak to her mom. Sometimes I could convince her to give the phone to her mom. Other times she wouldn’t understand and would hang up the phone. Then I would call her mom to tell her that Aspen had her phone again.
Patricia – thank you so much for commenting and sharing and for reading these posts. Memories are a great thing, especially if you have grandchildren, as I see that you do. They remind us how precious life is and to be thankful and take time to enjoy it this second time around. It may not pass this way again.