Saturday, November 23, 2013

30 Days of Gratitude - Day Twenty-Three

One of my biggest sorrows over the need the protect my skeletal structure is my inability to swoop up my little grandbabies at whim. While thankfully, it doesn't stop me from loving on them, it prevents me from scooping them up and cradling them in my arms whenever they or I feel like it. Knowing the sweet feeling of your arms folding protectively around their little soft bodies, I miss it. I have to make do with them climbing on my lap, but it's not the same.

So when Matt asked if I could watch the children for, oh, three hours, for a moment, I gave pause. I would be alone as Brie wasn't able to make the trip with me to the desert this time. Would I need to pick anyone up? If so, I wouldn't be able to do it. As I thought about what watching them would entail, the more I became convinced I could do it.

Both are walking. Neither are in a crib. One can go to the bathroom all by himself. The other can climb on the couch if I need to change her. Both are well behaved. I could ask them to do or not to do something and they would listen. After some further discussion, Matt and Ashley were out the door to enjoy a grown up movie together.

It was so much fun to spend time with my grandchildren all by myself. The last time I did that there was only one and he was barely one. Now he is three. He had had a birthday party earlier in the day, so one by one we cracked open the packaging and carefully examined the contents. Later as he lay on the sofa, he asked me to bring all his new toys to his side which I willingly obliged. It was such a sweet time.

She was asleep for most of the time, but when she awoke, she wasn't upset that mommy and daddy weren't home and quickly got to playing with the new toys, letting grandma help her when she needed help. She let me prepare her food and would come and show me the toys she was playing with, her bright, beautiful smile never leaving her face.

The best part of it all, was I was able to handle it. I wasn't counting the seconds for Matt and Ashley to come home. I enjoyed it all, well, except for the part where the little guy wasn't feeling too well, but even that was something I could manage. I drove home from the desert with the biggest smile on my face and content with a sense of accomplishment.







































It was such a feeling of gratitude to spend quality alone time with my grandchildren.

No comments:

Post a Comment