Grandad’s Braggadocio

Matt, third from the left

A few years ago you would never have found me in front of the TV on a Sunday afternoon watching a Raven’s football game, NASCAR, or as I did yesterday, the Grand Prix in St. Petersburg, Florida.  Two of my grandsons have been influential in this  new “couch potato” lifestyle, or it could be that I’ve just finally settled into the “retirement syndrome.” Whatever the case may be, I’m blaming it on my grandsons.  Two of them have played high school football and that peaked my interest in football, and my oldest grandson, Matthew Gildner, is the one responsible for my watching the Grand Prix yesterday.

Addison, watching Daddy
 at the race

Matt, from a very early age had a dream, a typical 10 or 11-year old dream, of one day becoming one of those guys at a pit stop changing the tires and pumping fuel in a race car in a matter of seconds.  Yesterday at the Grand Prix in St. Petersburg Matt did just that!  His dream was realized as he became part of the Penske pit stop team for the Grand Prix winner, Juan Pablo Montoya.  How many of us can say that of our youthful dreams?  Congratulations, Matt!  You are a winner!

What fun it was, not so much watching the race (I may have even taken a nap during part of it) but rather watching for Montoya’s pit stops and seeing Matt and the flawless Penske Team members pumping the fuel and changing the tires on Montoya’s car.  The fact that Montoya won the race makes Matt’s involvement even more special to his doting grandad.

Addison, our first
great granddaughter

How quickly our children and grandchildren grow up.  I’m stunned by the fact that Matt has not only realized his pit stop dream, but that he and his beautiful wife, Emily, have given us the gift of our first great granddaughter, Addison Elizabeth.  We have seen lots of photos of Addison, but we haven’t met her yet.  We hope to do that very soon.  I’m grateful for the gift of Matt, my grandson.