It’s a different kind of love when grandparents live far from their grandchildren. They often miss the birthdays and the craziness of the day. But they never forget to bake a cake and have their own friends over to feel a part of the celebration. The grandkids have a special kind of month-long party. A secret wish list of gifts is exchanged, gifts bought, and parcelled to our home. The anticipation of the delivery is palpable. The excitement for this birthday party is of a different kind.

The grandparents often miss the concerts, the races, and the awards nights. But they never miss wishing good luck to the kids, no matter the time of day or night in their own place. They are available to watch the kids on stage live through technology, by adjusting their own lives and schedules accordingly. The kids not only want us to be present in the audience but also to make sure we’ve recorded everything so the grandparents don’t miss a second. This connection across geographical borders is of a different kind.

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They might miss the small moments, such as a makeshift waterslide in the backyard. But they never skip talking about it to their friends and how the kids went crazy over it. They make sure they replicate the slides or do something similar when they have the grandkids over—whenever that might be, this year or next. They wait to create such memories no matter when they have the opportunity. Such memories are of a different kind.

They know they are missing out on all those cozy mornings in bed with grandchildren cuddled while still half-asleep. But the hugs at the airport when they finally meet can squeeze the life out of them in a way that fills them with new life. One can almost hear the small heartbeats of the kids and that of the grandparents reverberating through the hall of this happy place that has brought them together while avoiding thinking that they will be back here soon to say goodbye for some time again. These unions are of a different kind.

They may not be there to drop off or pick up from school or music or sports when we are busy. But they are always there to listen to complaints from grandchildren when we’ve been harsh. They are present somehow for a heart-to-heart conversation no matter how trivial the topic is because it is as important to them as it is to the kids. They are always a phone call away and the novelty to be filled in on all that has happened in the day or the week never wears off. These candid conversations are of a different kind.

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They may not be here physically to help when we need support, but the support from knowing they are my kids’ true well-wishers, confidants, best friends, and advisors is more than comforting. The grandkids are never lonely knowing there’s always someone to listen no matter how hard life gets. They often don’t tell us about their own deteriorating health, so we don’t have to worry about them and can continue to rely on them instead. This comfort is of a different kind.

The love grandparents and grandkids share living miles apart is a different kind of love.