Kids,
Remember these days with your grandma and grandpa.
Remember the trips you take together to the beach. The walks around the block. The hours in the sandbox. Remember their patience, their kindness, their compassion.
I hope you recall the little ways they spoil you with snacks and affection. How they hug and calm you when you were scared. The way they make you feel like the smartest, most special person in the world. Remember those feelings.
I watch your relationship blossom from the sidelines and I am grateful. Grateful you have these loving people surrounding you as you grow in these early years. Blessed that we have them in our lives. Thankful for their health, their energy, their love for you, and passion for all you do. Hopeful that there are still many years ahead.
But I worry about what you may forget.
I worry about when the day comes when all you have is the memories. Will you remember the magic? Will you remember their soft voices and their gentle touch?
Will you remember how grandpa would sneak you lollipops and grandma would help you climb rock walls? Or watching golf on TV with grandpa and eating grandma’s famous pumpkin bread?
But most importantly, will you remember how they make you feel? There is no feeling quite like the love from a grandparent. It is a sensation that is so deep, so fulfilling, and indescribable. It is love with the wisdom of age, the fortitude of experience, and the vastness of time.
Not everyone is so lucky to have their grandparents. Not everyone has special memories to reflect on.
Remember these days with grandma and grandpa, kids. These memories are building your foundation as good, loving people. Your grandparents are what we can all aspire to be in life as we grow.
Someday, you will only have the memories. Make them crisp. Make them yours.