Grand Kids

 Good morning, and welcome to this Thursday Thought.

Many of us who are of an older generation have extended families that include grand children.  Pat and I are two of that older generation.  We have eight grand kids all together…six who live in the Wichita area and two who live about fifty or so miles from here.  One of the six in the Wichita area is now attending Fort Hays, so we sometimes travel a bit to take in a concert or some other event.

We see all of them quite often as we attend various school functions, visit them for one reason or another, attend some kind of event, or they come to see us.  We may plan dinner together either at a restaurant or at one of our homes.  Or, we may be called to sit one or more  younger ones or act as a taxi service taking one or more kids to or from school, some kind of practice, or whatever.

They all have their own lives and their own families, but they are also interconnected with the larger families on both sides.  Not just Grandma and Grandpa, but they also know great aunts and uncles, cousins, and others in the families.  And, we also take advantage of any opportunity we have to let them know about our family history…where we came from and who they were who came before us.

We aren’t always one big happy family, but the love, devotion, and deference to one-another keep us together and respectful of our differences even as we share our commonality.  It is indeed a blessing to be part of such a family.

But I want to key in on our grand kids for a moment.  This is the end of the school year.  It’s also the spring of the year.  This is a time when we attend concerts at the schools.  It’s also a time when Grandpa and Grandma often need help with gardening, cleaning, or some other job.  It is these times when we often call on the older grands for help.  They usually don’t mind helping, and, as one of them has said, when she’s helping us she doesn’t have to do dishes, fold clothes or some other chore at home.  And, they usually receive some kind of pay and we often will take them by the Braums or Sonic for something to eat on their way back home.

I was struck, however, a couple of nights ago as we attended a band concert for one of them.  As I sat beside them, visited with them, and enjoyed their company, it occurred to me that, as was said by baseball great Lou Gehrig, I too “…consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

Six of our eight grands are girls.  The youngest is in pre-school and the oldest is, as I said earlier, attending Fort Hays as a Sophomore this fall.  The girls are all…every one of them…sassy and happy in their own ways.  They enjoy each other’s company…well, at least most of the time…and also like to be around us old folks…at least for awhile.  They are comfortable with us and we with them.  They are, for the most part, beyond any heavy disciplinary actions and usually listen to us if we ask them to do something.

I enjoy their company, and I especially am grateful for the help of the older grands as we get older and less able to do some things due to arthritic joints, painful hips, or other maladies of aging.  I sometimes wonder if the grands have any idea just how much they mean to us…not just because they can help us out from time to time…but because of the joy and love they bring into our lives.  All of them…every one of them…is a special gift of a loving God to older folks on both sides of the families who drink in their energy, their happiness, and their love.  They refresh and energize us as they grow, learn, and seek their own paths in life.

We grandparents are honored to be part of such a family and have the relationships we have with our grands and with their parents.  But I don’t want to mislead you into thinking we have the perfect family.  No family is perfect.  Every family has its issues.  Ours is no different.  But we have managed, somehow it seems, to make those issues and imperfections a little less important than the relationships.

The hugs from the kids…sometimes “just because”…are much of the glue that holds us together as a family.  A common belief and devotion to the God of the universe, however, is, I think, the foundation upon which it all is built.

Thanks for listening…may God bless your upcoming days.