Meditative

I'm up late, having had two martinis and a bit of gin with the left over Mountain Dew that I bought for Jenny, and I watched the video Pete made for the grandparents. I just have to put down my feelings about this and the other ideas it engendered.

I am amazed at how beautiful the feelings of grandparenting are. Our best friend John (Bruce's fishing partner/pseudo-brother) became the grandfather of twin boys this morning--adding to his two + 1 step- grandchildren. He called us this morning, as excited as any parent! This, and watching the video (see below) have pushed me into thinking about generations.

I watched the excellent video Pete constructed from home videos. It included visits to the zoo & the beach, and also just regular weekends around the house. I thought about how much this would have been appreciated by MY mom, or MY mom's mom. She was the bold one, the one to leave the family acreage--that was gone when her family moved into Milwaukee from the rural "suburbs" of the '30s. When she & Daddy moved to Marshfield, her sibs thought she'd moved north of north. And while I'm sure she wrote faithfully, her sibs saw her on the annual (?) trips from Marshfield to Milwaukee that I remember. I doubt that it was every summer. I remember a few. And my experience mirrors hers, I realize just now, in that her husband's family came before hers always. Hence my multitudinous trips to Austin/Faribault, MN as compared to the almost non-existent trips to Marshfield, WI.

So I watched the video tonight. I'm so grateful that Pete has this skill! I've been lucky in my ability to "bop down" to Tampa so easily. I've been able to be a part of my granddaughters' development, and will try to continue it. But I know that it'll take effort on my part. My mom is a terrific role model for this: She came whenever I asked her--it wasn't often but when I asked I really needed her. And she didn't agonize over watching my two little ones by herself for 3-4 days. She survived the coldest winter on record in Plattsburgh; her 70th birthday in Plattsburgh while Chuck & I were in England; the H.S. graduations of two girls--she was there for both.

So I'm really looking forward to being "the one" for Kaitlyn and Courtney in September for about 10 days. And their parents can count on me to deal with whatever comes up and to savor every moment, as they'll be savoring theirs. This is the way to grandparent in the 21st century: The grandkids may not be just down the street, but they're only a flight away. I actually can't wait for this opportunity!