A Tender Touch

I always visualized living near my children, just around the corner. I saw our home as a sanctuary for our grandkids. Our door would swing open, letting in the fresh air of youth and exuberance. I would drop whatever I was doing to shower them with love and attention. Spoil them rotten. It would be a place for them to escape their parents, and a reprieve for their parents for a few moments of peace. Life doesn't follow my wishes. I live more than 2500 miles from my loved ones. I visit once or twice a year. I fear they won't remember me, or feel the closeness I desire. This past Fall, I visited them for a glorious week of Autumn color. My daughter and the kids came to Syracuse to pick me up at the airport. Due to the late hour of my arrival, the kids stayed in the hotel while Carrie picked me up. Back in the hotel, I crawled into bed with my daughter and the littlest grandson. He stirred in his sleep and she reassured him that she was back. She added, "Gubba's here." He rolled and stretched toward me, reached up so tenderly and touched my face. It's been a team effort staying close. I guess we've managed.

Favorite Books

We all have favorite books. Some we read over and over again. My son loved the Arthur books and read them so much he could recite them from memory. Our school hosts a Books R Fun book fair frequently. Books are my weakness. I always end up spending $50 or more every time we have the book fair. Being an avid reader myself, I'm always looking for good books to share with my grandkids. They all know they can count on getting new books from their Gubba. I found a lovely book called, "Tea for Ruby" by Sarah Ferguson. Ruby is a precocious little girl that receives an invitation to tea with the Queen. She is so ecstatic, she runs to tell everyone. In her enthusiasm, she bumps and tousles people and receives a scolding each time. As she dresses for the occasion, her mother reminds her to use her manners. The ending in the book surprises you with the real identity of the Queen. Ruby is a little lady and remembers her manners while having tea with the Queen. My granddaughter, Makenzie loves this book. It has become a tradition to read this book during every visit. I always call and build her anticipation by planning the things we will do together when we visit. Our tea Party is the highlight, with cookies we bake together. I always call her Ruby, and you guessed it, I am the Queen.

A Grand Entrance

As soon as school was out for the summer, we headed to New Mexico to visit our grandkids. All day long, my granddaughter asks, "When will they be here?" along with a slew of other questions. The trip takes us about 8 hours, and I think of them the whole time--except while I'm sleeping. When we arrived, there they all were standing at the open door waiting for us. After hugging and kissing everyone, I realized my little granddaughter was no where in sight. "There she is! Go get her!" my husband pointed to a pillar by the house. I took off running across the sidewalk on my 3" high sandals. Cutting through the grass, my foot slipped off the side of the sandal, and I knew I was going down. With nothing to grab onto, I fell face first into the grass, scaring my grandkids half to death. I lay there a minute, breathless, assessing any injuries. I rolled over to a circle of concerned faces staring down at me. The hilarity of it all hit me then and I lay there laughing to cover the pain. Needless to say, I spent the rest of the visit moving carefully around with a fractured rib, gulping Ibuprofen.

Soft-hearted Sentiments

I am on the way home from visiting my older brother in Nevada. Ever since my granddaughter was born, he has made remarks that she has her whole life ahead of her and he may not be around much longer. This was the first time he met my husband and my son. I visited him 5 years ago and that was the first time I'd seen him in about 20 years. Knowing how quickly the years go by and how easily life gets in the way of our good intentions, motivates me to keep in touch with my grandkids. I hope time and life never get in the way...

New Baby on the Way

A new baby will grace the ranks of our family come September. Tomorrow we will find out if it will be a girl or a boy. Doesn't matter-we'll love them both the same. There are nine years between the first two, and three between the last two. Perfect all around. They don't live across the country now. They are only 10 hours away. We manage to get in 2 - 3 visits a year. I'd love to take them for a weekend, or just for the evening so my daughter and her husband can have a 'date night'. When the second one came along, I worried that my grandson, who is quite a bit older and had all our attention for so long, would be jealous of the new baby. He adores his little sister. Now the little girl will move to the middle child position, and my worry is for her. She will be 3 shortly after the new baby arrives. She still needs her mommy quite a bit. She still wakes frequently at night, and only mommy will do. I also worry for my daughter who will need her sleep, and will be contending with two little ones at once. Life has a way of working out without my help. they are all in loving hands, my son-in-law.