and now.... food for the heart.

grandma pile!

Yesterday I updated you on the feeding of my soul and tummy. Today I ask your indulgence as I relate the food for my heart... grand kids! One's own children are wonderful, and raising them is a constant awe-some experience, but then (if you are lucky) comes grand parenting. It is a whole different realm of wonderfulness. My grand guys are Finn and Liam, sons of my son. And at times, when I am with them, I am transported back to when their father was their age.

corn at the fish market

But, they are not their father, and their world is so different than his was at the ages of 2 and 4. They are comfortable with  computers, when Pong was just emerging for their father. I talk with them over Skype with the video feed, Brian's Grandma wrote letters. They eat foods that I didn't even know existed until I was an adult, and so on and so forth. But the basics never change.

"Pay hockey, peeeese?"

The pure and instant laughter that rolls from their bellies is the same. The courage they get when one parental (or grand parental) finger is gripped in their tiny hand as we walk down the street is still welcome. The wonder in their eyes when the merry-go-round horse takes its first lurch forward sparkles again. And the sweet aroma of youth and sweetness is something shampoo will never replace. Blankies are still loved, stories still need to be read, and spaghetti still paints faces.

However, now it is my son and his wife's turn to get up during the night, find the band-aids, teach "please" and "thank you" and make sure veggies come before dessert.  It is my turn to "spoil" now and then. I have license  to flit in and out of these young lives leaving a trail of hugs and kisses, pennies for the piggy bank, and indulgent gifts and treats. Such is the wonderfulness of grand-motherhood.