Posted on 02/19/2021 7:20:39 AM PST by Carpe Cerevisi
This past year, my wife and I developed a delightful habit of “Monday’s with Eli.” He is my soon-to-be 5 year-old grandson. He has a nearly 4 month-old baby brother, whose time in the womb was the occasion for our weekly baby-sitting duties. With my retirement, his presence was a new challenge to “find things to do.” He is an energetic boy, bright, with quick interest in almost anything around him. Our duties took us on long walks in the local arboretum, visits to the local dam, a train-yard, and countless forays into the woods across the street. There have been lots of hours with my train sets.
To give an accurate picture of this weekly discipline, you have to bear in mind my health. I’m slowing down (a lot). I can get lost in my thoughts, my reading, my writing. Left to myself and the noise of an ADHD brain, I could easily become a grumpy old man. But how can you be grumpy when someone is enthusiastically intoning, “Grandpa!” and following it with words of wonder? He is saving me.
There were several very serious moments that followed one day’s conversation when Eli began asking questions about what it meant to be old, including the notion that old age meant that death would come. “Will you die, Grandpa?” “Yes, I will, Eli.” He became tearful and pensive. In time, the information was assimilated and we moved on to the next joyful project.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.ancientfaith.com ...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.