So, there I was, sitting on the couch watching the Broncos, with my 7-year-old great-grandson, Logan Barnett, nestled in my arm. He was explaining to me why the Broncos were doing so well this year.
The setting might have looked like a living room in Lander, Wyoming, but trust me, I was in heaven.
We just finished spending a weekend with four of our great-grandchildren and, to a couple of old codgers like Nancy and me, we could not have had a better time.
And yes, we know how blessed we are to have produced this big brood of four children, 13 grandchildren and now five great-grandchildren.
In today’s world, although such a big family is unusual, it is an indescribable joy to these old coots.
Poppy
They say one of the reasons folks love their grandchildren so much is because it allows them, as parents, to relive the time when their own children were little kids.
That is so true.
And how amazing was it for us to go through this a third time?
We enjoyed our children when they were kids. Then we enjoyed their children as our grandchildren when they were kids. And now, here we are, spending quality time with another generation of little kids.
These kids decided to call me “Poppy,” which was great. My grandchildren always called me “Pop Pop.” One of our traditions was taking them to movies, and we always bought “Pop Pop Corn.” They even bought me a T-shirt with that theme on it.
I used to tell these grandchildren bedtime stories about “the three little girls,” which were stories about their parents. They asked me to tell those stories to these little kids – it was so much fun.
Did I say times are good?
A Special Time For Nancy
A year ago, I thought I was going to lose my wife Nancy.
We were down in Texas for medical care, staying with our daughter Amber, when a very good neurologist diagnosed Nancy with dementia and Parkinson’s. The expression “you are on your dementia journey” was even mentioned.
Amber and I, along with a wonderful home health nurse, discovered that Nancy’s bladder was not working properly and that she was having continuous urinary tract infections. For some reason, these can cause dementia-like symptoms in older women, and Nancy seemed to be a perfect candidate.
Plus, after 40 years of MS, she had already been diagnosed with white matter dementia, another dimension of that awful ailment. With all that, we thought we were on a journey that was not going to end well. Miraculously, we were able to reverse most of those symptoms. Nancy suddenly got better and became well enough to come back to Lander.
We even had a 60th anniversary party this past June.
Who would have thought?
So, with that backdrop, this visit from the great-grandkids was even more special. How many of us get a second chance like this?
Nancy is not a big perfume person, but I made her splash on a little extra. “Little kids expect their grandma to smell real good,” was my reasoning
Great-Grandchildren
Earlier this summer, we spent quality time with our fifth great-grandchild in Moses Lake, Washington. Little Charlotte Sullivan was one year old and is the youngest of the bunch.
This crew came from Colorado and ranged in age from 2 to 9.
To prepare for them, I bought lots of candy at Country Charm, a delightful store here in Lander. Tammy Logue has everything in there! I loaded up on caramels, candy corn, jelly beans and Snickers.
Remember, a grandparent’s job is to “spoil ’em and sugar them up” and then send them home.
I was on a mission.
Later, I bought lots of donuts, cinnamon rolls, Oreo cookies and striped cookies. I placed strategic bowls around the house with all the goodies in them.
Dan Carey at Shirts and More in Lander had perfect T-shirts that said “Lander” on them, so I bought shirts for the kids, too.
I planned to barbecue steak, hamburgers and hot dogs that first night, and Mr. D’s Grocery provided the necessities. Our visitors got here about 4 p.m. and had not eaten since 11, so I fired up the grill and we ate an early dinner at 4:45.
It was just great. But storm clouds were looming. Literally.
Just as we wrapped up dinner, it started to sprinkle. Who would have thought it would end up raining and hailing more than two inches, according to my rain gauge? I can hardly remember a rainstorm that heavy.
Whew!
Our timing was perfect.
On Their Way
I am writing this a few moments after they drove their minivan down the driveway for the trip back to Colorado.
Taylor and Mallory Haulman and their three kiddoes, Hailey, Logan, and Harper live in Castle Rock, so they had a six-hour drive ahead of them. Mallory works at a famous in vitro clinic there as an RN. Her husband is in the real estate business.
Mae Blank and her 2-year-old, Romy, will then fly back to their home in Grand Junction, where they live with her husband, Peter, a nurse at the Veterans Hospital there. Mae is a dental hygienist.
As they headed down the driveway, they honked twice. That reminded me of other generations of grandkids and kids who did the same thing after spending time with us. It is a little family tradition that has lasted through the years.
Yes, I know how blessed we are.
At this moment, I recall sitting there with Logan nestled in my arm, listening to him explain the Broncos to me, I could not help but think how lucky I am to be around for another generation.
At 80, you learn to appreciate these moments. You also learn that they go by much too fast. So, I am going to enjoy every minute of them.
