Special times with grandparents

After Curves this morning and before going shopping (isn't that how George and Abe would want their birthdays to be celebrated, after all?), Loni and I stopped by the Thornhills' house.

The Thornhills are a hospitable and very interesting couple. He, Robert, is a retired science teacher. She, Rosemary, is the principal of Hardin Early Childhood Center, HECC, the preschool part of the Christian Home and Bible School. They are devoted Christians, parents, and grandparents as well. I'm so grateful they are members at Mount Dora.

Their house is right on the main drag through Mount Dora, on Donnelly Street, next to the Fire House and Police Station and just a few blocks from the Bible School. I don't know how old their house is, but it is picturesque and kind of Floridian/Victorian. It sits not too far off the road, but behind the house is more than an acre of land, kind of wild and woodsy with some citrus trees, old oaks with Spanish moss, palms, an old chicken coop and an old "fort" their sons made years ago. You can't see all this wildness from the road, which makes it kind of like a secret garden. Robert has planted quite a variety of plants around the house, including herbs and tropical varieties.

Their grandchildren were visiting for the weekend, three charming young ladies. The girls invited Loni and I to stop by this morning to see the lambs. In addition to their "town house", Robert and Rosemary have a farm property about an hour away, and Robert occasionally brings animals home to visit the Early Childhood Center. Their parental sheep pair had produced lambs just two weeks ago, and Mother sheep Snowball, brother Rex and sister Belle were visiting Mount Dora, residing temporarily in an animal transport trailer until they return home tomorrow. Loni and I got to hold cuddly Rex for a bit, then watched as the two cavorted around the grounds following Mother as she ate assorted weeds and a tangelo. Their little "baas" were so cute, and they hopped along just like the cartoon lambs. Belle has black rings around her eyes, and their wool is soft and thick. Rex has little knobs under his wool on his head where his horns will grow.

We enjoyed our little visit. The girls went off exploring as Robert showed us his various plants. As I reflected on how blessed those girls are to have such loving grandparents and a wonderful yard and house to visit at their grandparents' home, I flashed back to experiences I remember at my own grandparents' homes. My brother and I played in their yards and explored the neighborhoods. For some reason, when I hear birdsong, particularly mockingbirds, I remember the birds in my Granddaddy and Grammy's yard. The yard wasn't all that big, probably, but it had interesting areas, like alongside the house, behind the garage, around the garden and out by the alley. At my Mamaw and Granddaddy's house, there was a concrete picnic table and a big old tree to play around and under. There was also a hedgerow where my brother was sometimes sent to fetch a switch. During winter visits, my brother and I slept in the back bedroom which wasn't heated very well. We hunkered down under heavy, warm quilts. At Mamaw's later house, there was a "porch" swing hanging in the yard from a swingset frame and a big old pear tree. (Yum! Her homemade pear preserves are the only thing I can, trying to capture her perfection.) Behind the house and backyard, beyond the fence, was a huge field where you could see the enormous sky and sometimes storms approaching.

My own grandchildren won't have those same kind of memories with us because times are different, and we live too far away for frequent casual visits. But I cherish our times together. I'm grateful Lisa keeps us informed through her blog. I am also newly determined to do a better job at creating long-distance memories and relationship with our boys.

Take a few minutes to reflect on special times you may have had with your grandparents, and thank God for that heritage.