Proverbs 17:6 – “Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.”
Psalm 128:5-6 – “May the Lord bless you from Zion; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
6 May you live to see your children’s children— peace be on Israel.”
Deuteronomy 6:1-2 – “These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.”
Steve and I are so very blessed to have 13 beautiful grandchildren — a Baker’s Dozen of Delight! It is a blessing beyond all we could have ever asked or imagined. Our children bring us unimaginable joy, but, oh, our children’s children. My goodness.
Their ages range for 5 days old to a granddaughter who will be 17 in about 6 weeks. We spent a fun afternoon with our oldest, teenager Allie Grace, recently, and as I planned our time together, I wanted it to include 3 ingredients. (Maybe these ingredients stem from what I would have enjoyed with my own grandparents. Their circumstances were far different, however. Even though I never doubted their love for me and their pride in my accomplishments, both physical and financial limitations prevented them from spoiling me. Grandparenting has as many different “looks” as the number of grandparents trying to fulfill the role.)
- In addition to getting inside our grandchildren’s world, I believe it’s important for us to share our own passions, interests, and hobbies with them. Yes, we go to band concerts, soccer games and baptisms. We ask about schoolwork, friends and pets. We want to know their favorite colors, books, foods, sports teams, movies and TV shows, but we also want them to know some of our favorites as well. Steve, for example, is their go-to expert for all things related to fishing or animals, while I (hopefully) spring to their minds in the areas of music or food. 🙂 And, always, always, always, we want them to catch our commitment and enthusiasm for God, for the Bible and for church. We had a chance to worship with Allie at her new church in Nashville and (hopefully) affirmed to her all of its positive aspects. Later, she showed us her new school, and we loved hearing her tell all of the good things happening for her there.
GoodPasture Christian School sign.
- Good food is a must! Don’t we want our grandchildren to associate us with happy times around a table with delicious tastes in their mouths?? Well, this was a perfect time for me to share my enjoyment of being a food/travel writer with Allie. I researched a restaurant with a great chef that I was pretty sure she had never tried before and made reservations for brunch. We arrived at etc. (yes, that’s the name of it — no capital letters or anything) and walked into a lively place with a sleek appearance and an intriguing menu. Allie suggested fresh croissants to begin our meal, and “her wish was our command.” 🙂 Then, since she’s both “into health” AND a teenager, she chose a breakfast quesadilla with bacon, eggs, cheese, onions, black beans, avocado, salsa, tomatillo jam and micro greens. When we made our way to nearby Green Hills Mall afterwards, I introduced all of us to a heavenly goodie known as a macaron. No, not macaroon of the coconut variety, but macaron of the many-colored, many-flavored variety. They were in a little kiosk called Woops! Again, this combined my foodie interest with my “once a teacher, always a teacher” trait. Now, she has something new to know about and mention to her friends. And, maybe I can find a recipe we can try together the next time she visits.
Breakfast quesadilla at etc. in Nashville.
Woops! – a place to buy macarons in Green Hills Mall.
- A little shopping — within reason, of course. Teenage girls — and their grandmothers — love to look and sometimes buy something new, right? We found a store that was new to both of us called Charming Charlie. There is actually one at Parkway Place Mall in Huntsville for those of you who live in North Alabama. It is filled with colorful, fashionable jewelry, purses, scarves and clothes (mostly tops, it seemed), and the prices were very affordable. We both got a couple of items and spent only around $30. (Steve, I should mention, was very glad to see some nice benches outside the store for resting and watching the world go by).
Shopping bags from Green Hills Mall.
It was a nice afternoon. We didn’t spend a lot of money. We just invested some time. We learned more about Allie, and I believe she learned more about us. Allie, along with her siblings and cousins, are most certainly “a crown” for Steve and me. Thank you, God.
Selfie in front of macarons.