I haven’t posted anything here for a month or so. There was good reason. Our daughter, who lives in Newton, Massachusetts, came for a visit. Her husband and three boys came, too. We spent a lot of time with them. And when we weren’t with them, we spent time planning or preparing for the next time when we would be with them.
There were a few events that really stood out. The oldest boy from Newton, named Ravid, is 21. He has a close connection with some of his cousins here in Israel. Especially our granddaughter, Paz, age 20, currently serving in the army, and our grandson, Lior, age 18, who just finished high school. The three of them were sometimes joined by Ravid’s brother, Roy, also 20. They had some wonderful time together. But, for us, the best evening was when the first three had scheduled to meet and they called us to ask if we would be at home. They wanted to come to our house and just “hang out” with Gramma and Grampa.
Just the idea that they would want to spend time with us gave us such a boost in spirits. And it was really fun to be with them. Having three active and highly intelligent individuals who are at least 50 years younger than we are gave us tremendous amount of satisfaction. The fact that it was their initiative made it even better.Sharing their current activities and future plans made us feel so much younger.
There were a couple of days when we played Monopoly. The participants included several grandchildren of varying ages, and Grampa. The kids, based on past experience, had taken to calling the game “Grampa always wins”. This time, I won only one of the three five to six player contests. This resulted in a new appellation: “Grampa SOMETIMES wins”.
The new school year was about to start, so everyone returned to their normal routine. But not Lior. He took a couple of days off with some friends and went on his first (almost) solo trip out of the country. The group went to Cyprus. It was close by, and not too expensive. When they got back, he unexpectedly dropped by our house. He brought us a surprise souvenir gift from his trip; a small magnetic card that says “You are the nicest and sweetest Grandpa and Grandma in the whole wide world”. He also brought home items for his two younger brothers.
We have been blessed with some of the best children and grandchildren anyone could ever hope to have.
Wetherhorn 