Investment Returns

February 16, 2020

Friday it was a serendipitous time with eldest granddaughter Alex; today was a planned afternoon and evening with next in line Abi at Fredonia State’s Bassfest. I asked the same question of each of them: “Does it seem odd to have your grandparents so involved in your lives?” We have been blessed to have our three children and their nine grandchildren living within walking distance of our home. They grew up with cousins who were more like siblings, a big extended family. It’s not all peaches and cream; we have our differences, on occasion, we get under each other’s skin; but we work together, listening, laughing, loving, and yes...forgiving.

Both granddaughters gave the same answer to my question: “It may seem odd to others, but for me, it’s normal.” I remember my grandparents as being old, but Linda and I are in good enough health that we don’t seem that way to Alex and Abi. The same may not be true for our youngest, who is only eight. 

Saturday I was given the opportunity to connect with Alex, talking about life, her dreams and plans for her future, and about the relationship that has sustained Linda and me for nearly fifty years. Today I had the same gift from Abi. We talked music, but also of life and of our faith in Christ. The Scriptures tell us if we cast our bread upon the water, it will come back to us, “pressed down, shaken together, and running over.” If I was able to bless my granddaughters in any way these past two days, it came back to me, overflowing many times over, giving me great cause to give thanks tonight.