The Sweetness of Life

We have been through a period of stressful times, so I was glad to have our nine year old grandson come for a visit. He hadn't been here for a month, and I was eager to see him.

Since the close of school he has been on a road trip with his parents to visit in-laws, friends and relatives. So, he was fresh with reports of his visits to Washington and New York and all the folks he had seen. He is really looking forward to going to camp for three weeks.

But he clearly loves his visits here with his own room and Legos and books. He is nine, and a tall sting bean of a kid. His face is round and dimpled with a thatch of red hair, the kind of face you'd love to look at forever.

This evening, after a pizza dinner he made with his grandfather, we went swimming in the night that was still dripping from the rainy season thunderstorms. "Oh, let's just skinny dip", he said. So we are swimming about under the moon, talking about this and that, just companions.

I wonder what memories this child will have about visits to his grandparents? I hope they will be as sweet as mine have been with my grandmother.

Later, after we had dried off, we ate peaches just picked from a neighbor's tree, and topped with vanilla ice cream. While we ate this ambrosia, he read me a Shel Silverstein poem he very much liked, and then I read him a story about my father that I had written just for him. This feeling between us was just so sweet.  He went up to brush his teeth and in a few minutes I followed to tuck him in and kiss him many times and tell him how much I love him. I turn off the lights and start down the stairs and he calls out, "I love you!"

Life is sweet, indeed. Tomorrow we have many plans! He has collected all the change that has accumulated here for several months, counted it, and is prepared to take it to put into his bank account at the local credit union. ( $29! At this rate he'll be able to buy a car when he's sixteen!) We'll go to the library and get tons of books. And we will look for some Star Wars videos.

There is so much to do! This boy is never at loose ends requiring a person to entertain him. But I always want to extend his inquiries, be inviting, and be the crazy creative grandma.

Other grandchildren have been just as sweet. I am thinking about the oldest who is about to have his 21st birthday, and is the first under my heart.