I refer to this as acceptable bragging. This past weekend I visited my Son’s house for a couple of days. My Son and his bride were out of town, so I got to have the kids all to my own. On the way, I picked up my 16-year-old granddaughter at school and gave her a ride home. When I arrived, I was greeted by my other 16-year-old granddaughter and one of her friends that had spent the night. What a delight. When I entered the house, my 14-year-old grandson came lumbering out of his room, all sleepy-eyed and grumbling about breakfast. I hope you get the picture that this is Grandpa Heaven because it is.
The girls had stuff to do, but my grandson and I hung out together. They live on a beautiful 38 acres in the mountains of Western North Carolina, and there is an old two-story tobacco drying barn right next to the creek that erosion has taken its toll on in the form of a pronounced lean. I am determined to save it from collapse. So far, I am winning, but I started late in the process. It involves a 30-ton jack, building foundations, and cross bracing 15′ feet high uprights. With the help of my grandson, we are slowly winning this battle. I Love it because he thinks I know what I am doing. On one of our material runs, I took him by the old 10-acre homestead and showed him the house his then nine-year-old Dad, and I built almost 50 years ago.
It was one of those good days together deals. We then hung out until his sister got off work, and we all went to dinner with her girlfriend. Sidebar here; I have another granddaughter. What a delightful young lady Milo turned out to be. We laughed and told stories. Oh, Happy Day.
We were off to church Sunday morning since both of them participated in the service. I just got to sit there and be proud. Then we went to lunch at the Cracker Barrel, and the five of us overindulge in food and fun. A repeat Oh, Happy Day! I am the luckiest man I know.
My celebration of this was expressed as I sent each of them a text this morning to thank them individually and collectively for brightening this older man’s world with who they are. I am a proponent of “Good Seeing and Good Saying.” Each by itself is powerful, but together that power is exponential.
Thanks for being a Caring Grandparent.
One of the tenets of my Dale Carnegie training is that we should speak in…