Great Grandad’s Role Discovered

We left our home on Sunday, January 21st for our cross-country trek and we will return home today, Sunday, February 25th.  We had a wonderful visit and lunch with Matt, Emily and Addison yesterday.  After lunch we said our goodbyes and drove northeast on I-85 to Petersburg, Virginia for the night.  Our drive home today will be a short one and hopefully a safe one.  

I want to share a lesson I learned yesterday.  If you read my blog yesterday, you will remember that we were planning our visit with our first and only great grandchild, Addison, and I was questioning what my role was as a great grandad.  Was it a different role than that of a grandfather? Well, Addison helped me figure out my “great grandad” role. 

During our lunch at a restaurant, Addison became restless and  needed some fresh air.  Her Daddy had already taken her out for a few minutes, but apparently that wasn’t enough.  I volunteered to take her outside and to my surprise (and delight) she willingly allowed me to pick her up and carry her outside.  There we noticed some colorful pansies and quite naturally Addison wanted some of those pretty flowers to take to her Mommy.  So we picked a few and went back into the restaurant where Addison shared her flowers.  Then she developed a new mantra:  “More flowers.” “More flowers.” “More flowers.”  Out we went again, and again, and again, Addison in the arms of her great grandad in search for more flowers. The pansies were beginning to disappear, so we searched for flowers elsewhere and found some dandelions on a grassy hill.  What fun we had climbing the hill, picking some dandelions, and running back down that hill!  Then, back into the restaurant after each jaunt to share dandelions and then the mantra “more flowers” took us back out again.  I loved every minute of our adventure and I think Addison enjoyed our moments together as well.  

The lesson learned?  Just be there.  Just be available.  Just pick flowers or climb little hills. Just be there whenever, wherever,  and however an old grandad can with his two-year-old great granddaughter. There is nothing more to it, or more special, than that!

"More flowers...more flowers!"