“Few things in life
are more delightful
than grandchildren
fighting over your lap.”
Doug Larson

Love. Love. Love. This is what our grandchildren bring into our home each time they visit us. When I was a child, I never gave a thought to being a grandparent myself. Even when our own kids were born, the thought of being a grandfather some day was the furthest thing from my mind. When Tom and Hillaray married in 2012, the thought may have crossed my mind, but it wasn’t something to which I paid much attention, if at all. 

In 2014, however, Tom and Hilla informed Kathy and me that we would be grandparents in September. Even then, I’m not sure that the reality of the situation really sunk in. Grandparents were old people, right? Kathy and I were certainly not old. It took awhile for me to fully embrace my role as “Papa.” 

I am now an 11-year veteran grandpa. It’s who I am. It’s what I do. It’s what I enjoy. Kathy and I have been blessed with five delightful grandchildren. Each one has a unique personality, their own set of likes and dislikes, their own temperament, and their own quirks. They are children in every sense of the word — spirited, innocent, funny, precocious, affectionate, creative, energetic, caring, fashionable, and unconditionally loving. All those who told me that being a grandfather would be an amazing experience for me were absolutely correct. I love this gig! 

There are many people in my life for whom I am grateful. I wouldn’t know where to begin listing them, and the list would be extraordinarily long. All five of our grandkids are high on my list. As I’ve said so many times before, I have so much for which to be grateful, and so many for whom to be grateful. Life is good.