I consider truthful, honest, and genuine people who want to have a relationship with me to be a gift. I like nothing more than to spend time with a person who is willing to connect with me on a heart-to-heart level. There are a few “regulars” in my life with whom I share this pleasure and recently, someone new has begun to show an interest in this type of relationship, my granddaughter. 

Getting to Know Grandma

My granddaughter has been a part of my life for ten years. She, along with her mom, dad and older brother, has tagged along, observed and endured the family traditions such as Christmas morning breakfasts, birthday dinners and summer time shindigs that included hanging out with my siblings. She’s always been a participant in these family gatherings because she’s come along with her family. But something fresh and new is developing; she is now old enough to make her own choice to hang out with me, her Grandma, all on her own. 

I was the recipient of the gift of her company just the other day. She and her brother had spent the night while her folks went out of town to celebrate their anniversary. The next morning, her brother peddled himself off on his own to his summer job and although my granddaughter’s parents had returned home, she was not ready to go. Instead, she wanted to hang out a little longer at our house. A seemingly small request, and yet for me, it spelled r-e-l-a-t-i-o-n-s-h-i-p. 

My granddaughter is developing into the family historian. Whenever she is here, her favorite thing to do is to look through the photo albums stored on the shelves of a bookcase in the living room. But while she was here, all by herself, I invited her upstairs to look at an envelope of photos she’d never seen before. 

Carefully, she pulled each photo out of the envelope, looked at it while asking, “Who is that?” Over the course of the next thirty minutes or so, I answered each of her questions. 

Since it was a yoga morning, I invited her to come along with me to the class and she accepted that invitation. On the way there, I told her a little bit about the teacher. “Her name is Judy, she is in her eighties and she is very nice.”

Afterwards, when I asked my granddaughter what she enjoyed most about the class, she told me, “I know why Judy is in such good shape.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because she does yoga. Can I do that again with you, Grandma?” 

“Of course.”

Our next stop was the Farmer’s Market where she trailed along with me as I bought my weekly produce. She spotted a booth that sold sweets and picked out a brownie for herself. 

Sitting down on a bench she savored the sweet chocolate bar while I savored my time in the presence of my granddaughter who’d chosen, all by herself, to hang out with me.

Why bother noticing the gift of relationships? Not everyone I know is interested in getting to know me, or in connecting on a heart-to-heart level. But when someone is then I get giddy with excitement. The possibilities and blessings are endlessly wonderful for the both of us.