Priceless Conversation

If you're still blessed enough to have grandparents living...when's the last time you stopped to visit with them?

Yesterday, after my doctor appointment, I didn't have a whole lot planned, so I decided to swing by Grandpa and Grandma's for a visit. And maybe see if they wanted to go get lunch if I was still there at noon.

Now, to give you a little background, "Grandpa and Grandma" in this case are my husband's grandparents whom I was absolutely blessed to call my own on the day I said, "I do." My husband had moved in with them before leaving for college in Minnesota, and his room was still waiting for him when he returned after college. They also gave me a room to live in, since I had made the decision to follow him back. I don't recall exactly how long it was that we stayed with them, but I know it was 18+ months. Matt joked later that he moved me in with Grandma so she could "train me." Grandma always had lunches ready for him in the morning, supper on the table when he got home, did the laundry, and anything else she could spoil him with to make my job harder as the wife-to-be. Lol. I observed, but I haven't mastered it all just yet. ;)

Anyway, grandpa and grandma are always excited to see me (us) when we stop by. They're like the dog who has been left home alone all day when they see you pull in to the driveway...that kind of excited! How does that not make someone feel special, important, and loved?!?!

When I walked in the door, Grandma excitedly said, "It's Kayla!" She immediately stopped what she had been working on, offered me a seat, and asked if there was anything she could get me. Their hospitality simply blows me away and inspires me to appreciate the people close to me in life with just simple acts of selflessness and giving of my undivided attention.

Grandma and I sat in the dining room and visited for awhile before Grandpa wandered in and joined the conversation. They're so easy to visit with, and I can talk to them about ANYTHING. We covered a very wide range of topics including my friends, their friends, family, travel experiences, jobs, finances, marriage, aging (Grandma recently got hearing aids), and even GoDaddy.com.

We ate lunch (leftovers). Visited more. And then Grandma had to leave to volunteer at the local Bible Camp in the Snack Bar. Grandpa and I continued visiting.

Five hours of PRICELESS CONVERSATION later, I decided I better go run my errands I had in town and head toward home.

Both Grandpa and Grandma thanked me more than once for stopping by to visit, and I told them I would stop again soon, sometime when both Matt and I could visit. Because the conversations are just so packed full of little nuggets of wisdom, that when I visit by myself, I feel like Matt is missing out.

Don't miss out on the amazing relationship that God intended between grandparents and grandchildren...make time to slow down and enjoy a visit with your grandparents today (if you still have the opportunity). Who knows, it may just make your day, your week, or even your month...I know it did mine!

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Excerpt from an article I read which I felt relevant to this post:

"Positive roles that grandparents play are caretaker, storyteller, family historian, mentor, wizard, confidant, negotiator between child and parent, and model for the child’s own old age. When a child has a strong emotional tie to a grandparent, he enjoys a kind of immunity—he doesn’t have to perform for grandparents the way he must for his parents, peers and teacher. The love of grandparents comes with no behavioral strings attached. The emotional conflicts that often occur naturally between children and parents do not exist between grandparents and grandchildren.

Another good read I found was "What is the Role of a Christian Grandfather or Grandmother"