FIRST PUBLISHED AUG. 30, 2015
I apologize for the long delay in posting anything to this blog. This summer was a tough one for me. I turned 60, and while I'm looking forward to this new decade, this age gives me pause and makes me realize how very little time I have left on this earth to enjoy my grandchildren. None of us knows how long we will live, so we need to make the most of each day. When you see your grandchildren only once or twice a year, making the most of your time with them can be exhausting. Fun, yes, but exhausting. I think I felt it this summer more than any other. Not so much physically, but emotionally once it's all over. And now I'm just coming out of that post-visit slump where I was stuck for weeks. I love having our oldest granddaughters with us for four or five weeks each summer, but every time they go home I get the blues. My goodness, time to shake it off!
One thing that always, always helps me is humor and laughter. Sofia reminded me of that in a way only her quick-witted, 9-year-old mind could. Let me first tell you that after we picked up our daughter and granddaughters at the airport in Connecticut, we met my husband's sister and dad for lunch. Driving up to the restaurant, we saw my father-in-law had been dropped off at the front door while his daughter was parking the car. He was surrounded by a group of middle-aged ladies who were happily laughing and chatting with him. We rolled down our windows to shout hello and these women began oohing and ahhing over our granddaughters, Jain and Sofia. "Oh, is this your daughter and great-granddaughters?" they squealed to him. What in the world is going on? Who are these women? Ben had apparently been telling them we were there for a visit and he was waiting for us to show up. Walking up to him after we parked our car, they surrounded us, remarking how lovable and sweet he was. A couple of them asked me, "How old is your father-in-law?" to which I replied, "92!" They were absolutely amazed at that and said they all hoped they would be doing so great at that age. I smiled and thought to myself, "Wow, Benny, you've still got it! Way to go!"
We good-naturedly ribbed Ben about being a chick magnet for a bit, but then never gave it a second thought. Or so I thought.
On to Massachusetts to see our son and his family. Newborn grandson, Lucas, was three weeks old at the time, and his sister, Olivia, two and a half years.
At the end of this year's visit, Sofia must have had the age differences between her and her teenage sister and her young toddler and infant cousins on her mind. With my birthday approaching, she asked me how old I would be when Lucas is 10. I replied I would be 70, and 80 when he's 20, and 90 when he's 30! Good Lord! At the 90/30 year difference, I moaned, "Oh, I don't know if I want to even live that long!" Sofia, without missing a beat, piped up, "But, why not, Dandy? You could be like Poppa and attract women!" All of us just lost it! How do you argue with that kind of logic? I know what she meant, though. So I guess if I'm attracting the opposite sex at 90, I'll be doing all right!
As I reflect on the summer past and all the fun we had, it makes me smile ear to ear when I remember the funny things my grandchildren say. And that is a surefire cure for the blues!
Much, much more to come! Stay tuned for everything we did during the rest of the summer! And remember, as Grampy always says,
HAVE FUN!
The Wisdom in a Child's Sense of Humor
FIRST PUBLISHED AUG. 30, 2015
I apologize for the long delay in posting anything to this blog. This summer was a tough one for me. I turned 60, and while I'm looking forward to this new decade, this age gives me pause and makes me realize how very little time I have left on this earth to enjoy my grandchildren. None of us knows how long we will live, so we need to make the most of each day. When you see your grandchildren only once or twice a year, making the most of your time with them can be exhausting. Fun, yes, but exhausting. I think I felt it this summer more than any other. Not so much physically, but emotionally once it's all over. And now I'm just coming out of that post-visit slump where I was stuck for weeks. I love having our oldest granddaughters with us for four or five weeks each summer, but every time they go home I get the blues. My goodness, time to shake it off!
One thing that always, always helps me is humor and laughter. Sofia reminded me of that in a way only her quick-witted, 9-year-old mind could. Let me first tell you that after we picked up our daughter and granddaughters at the airport in Connecticut, we met my husband's sister and dad for lunch. Driving up to the restaurant, we saw my father-in-law had been dropped off at the front door while his daughter was parking the car. He was surrounded by a group of middle-aged ladies who were happily laughing and chatting with him. We rolled down our windows to shout hello and these women began oohing and ahhing over our granddaughters, Jain and Sofia. "Oh, is this your daughter and great-granddaughters?" they squealed to him. What in the world is going on? Who are these women? Ben had apparently been telling them we were there for a visit and he was waiting for us to show up. Walking up to him after we parked our car, they surrounded us, remarking how lovable and sweet he was. A couple of them asked me, "How old is your father-in-law?" to which I replied, "92!" They were absolutely amazed at that and said they all hoped they would be doing so great at that age. I smiled and thought to myself, "Wow, Benny, you've still got it! Way to go!"
We good-naturedly ribbed Ben about being a chick magnet for a bit, but then never gave it a second thought. Or so I thought.
On to Massachusetts to see our son and his family. Newborn grandson, Lucas, was three weeks old at the time, and his sister, Olivia, two and a half years.
At the end of this year's visit, Sofia must have had the age differences between her and her teenage sister and her young toddler and infant cousins on her mind. With my birthday approaching, she asked me how old I would be when Lucas is 10. I replied I would be 70, and 80 when he's 20, and 90 when he's 30! Good Lord! At the 90/30 year difference, I moaned, "Oh, I don't know if I want to even live that long!" Sofia, without missing a beat, piped up, "But, why not, Dandy? You could be like Poppa and attract women!" All of us just lost it! How do you argue with that kind of logic? I know what she meant, though. So I guess if I'm attracting the opposite sex at 90, I'll be doing all right!
As I reflect on the summer past and all the fun we had, it makes me smile ear to ear when I remember the funny things my grandchildren say. And that is a surefire cure for the blues!
Much, much more to come! Stay tuned for everything we did during the rest of the summer! And remember, as Grampy always says,
HAVE FUN!