Category: Personal

Grandkids

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Linda and I are in Belize. We have no plans to get off the cruise ship. We try to cruise twice a year, but the ports don’t matter. The ship could do a big circle in the ocean and return to our Texas port a week later as far as we’re concerned.

This cruise has more young people and young families compared to our last one – the Geriatric Cruise as we refer to it. We love to be around young families. Except when we see kids we really start missing our grandkids. They are 9, 11 and 13. They love to cruise. Kenneth & DeAnne take them as often as they can.

Most of the kids on board are young kids. We really do miss those early years with our grandkids. We live close by so they are a big part of our weekly lives. We cherish those early years. From 6 to 18 months was very special to me.

But now we get to enjoy their humor and intellect. All three are good conversationalists. The two oldest text regularly so we get that added benefit of a surprise message that one of them misses us or is looking forward to an upcoming sleepover.

When our first, Lindsey, was born we could not believe the feelings that overwhelmed us looking at and holding a grandchild. Our own son and daughter-in-law had given us a gift that had us giddy. We were ready!

The part that did surprise us was the depth of love that comes with a grandchild. How could it be that your great love for a child gets multiplied by a huge factor with a grandchild?

All three of our grandkids are very loving. That should not be a surprise given we have smothered them with love since their first day as a newborn. Well before they were conceived actually.

But for them to express their love, say it with meaning and give a genuine hug and kiss before we can say “come here” is a true gift from God.

We know we are blessed beyond description. We talk about something funny they said or a tender moment they gave us for days afterward.

Our grandkids make us care about the future. We want them to be smart but not cynical. For them to know that what appears to be true may not be so. We are teaching them to ask good questions. To seek wisdom and discernment. And to know that the Lord is with them every moment to be their helper.

Life is wonderful as we intertwine our lives with Lindsey, Lily and Anderson.

Lewis

Why I Like Reading on Facebook

.Reading time 5 minutes.

I like to check in on FB regularly. Not everything is of interest or pleasing to me. In fact, I canceled my membership (or is it a subscription?) for about a year and then rejoined. I don’t care for the political extremes, and I’d rather hear personal words than cute quotes in commercial form. But I crave just being able to keep up with friends and colleagues. Especially, the personal revelations that come from municipal colleagues and high school friends – including those from Linda’s school. Here are a few things I’ve learned:

Deep Faith. Not to my surprise since I generally knew this about my municipal family, my friends share their faith without reservation. Unabashedly. One of the blessings being around people of faith is when you are asked to pray for them or they respond to our posts that they are praying for us. Whether the giver or the recipient, you realize the world might be in shambles yet there is a circle of people firmly rooted in a world IN the secular world but not OF it. To have a friend since the third grade who will respond immediately with a need being expressed feels comforting and protective to me, like the quiet of well insulated home with threatening winds trying to intervene.

Loving Families. I get lifted high daily as friends post pictures of their family events. Many of these are from cheerleaders Linda used to coach who now have three or more kids. I am touched as I get to celebrate sports victories and gymnastic achievements posted by an excited parent extending an invitation for us to share the moment. Many of my friends and colleagues also share their pictures and stories about their adult children in the context of obvious close bonds and often simple but rock solid lives. Since our immediate family circle is relatively small, my FB friends and colleagues allow me to be part of their family tree so we can have a large extended family. I’ve been to Norway, Germany and dozens of other places with my FB friends recently even though I have not left home. I have also celebrated anniversaries and birthdays, and felt privileged to be there to witness the candles being blown out.

Pets, Pets, Pets. As an animal lover with four cats, we get to confirm that Linda and I aren’t just odd balls. Many of our friends love their pets. No, they worship their pets. We get to laugh when we see a room destroyed by a dog while our friends get to clean up the mess! We also get to grieve with our friends when they have lost a pet. There is a unity of spirit as we have felt their pain and know the depth and sharpness of hurt and loss that has to be experienced since words are so inadequate. We also know there is something beyond intelligence that pets possess that lets them know if you don’t feel well or just down in the dumps. For someone to reveal that deep personal loss, as well as the joy of a new pet) makes them a special friend.

Humor! “Where do people find this stuff or think of this funny story” is a worn out phrase in our household. Linda and I regularly hear the other bust out in a belly-laugh and have an urgency to hear what they just read on FB. One of the latest that had me waking myself up laughing as I thought about it after I went to sleep was titled “How I Learned To Control My Curiosity.” It was about a guy walking past a mental hospital when he heard the patients yelling out the window “13 … 13 … 13 …” The wall around the hospital was too high to see so he found a hole in the fence and pressed his head close to get a view. Then somebody poked him in the eye with a stick! As he reeled back he then heard them scream with joy “14 … 14 … 14 …” Folks, that’s my kind of humor. LFM