Days in the life of a grandpa
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Publisher: Vision 14 Enterprises Gadget Name: Days in the life of a grandpa About This Gadget:  
We offer stories that will touch your heart and refresh your day with smiles, warm memories, an occasional tear - and a reminder of the power of love He Ended Up In the Next Hospital Bed
An Advanced Life Support Paramedic unit rushed the seriously injured driver of the van to the nearest trauma hospital. A few hours later, one of the two paramedics that had worked to save the man's life was lying in the next bed in the trauma unit - badly injured himself. Off shift and on his way home, the paramedic's car was hit head-on by a driver who suddenly made an illegal left-hand turn into his path. He was rushed to the same hospital by his own paramedic unit. His injuries included a head injury that kept him from being able to return to his job. What then? Suddenly life changed. Gone was the excitement of a challenging career on the front-lines of emergency medical response. Here daily were on-going headaches and dizziness, with some memory loss. He was unable to function in the crowded or noisy environments that he had thrived in before. What would fill the void in his life? Who are we talking about?
In the years after the accident, our three married sons and one married daughter began to expand their families. I decided to deepen my relationship with my growing family of grandchildren. Right now there are 11. I still find it hard sometimes to be around a busy family gathering. Even with the children usually well-behaved, even the noise of multiple conversations can be overwhelming. I can find it hard to focus on the conversation I am trying to have with ONE family member. I try to enjoy these family times when we are all together. But sometimes it's hard. What I HAVE found is that I can enjoy one-on-one time with each grandchild. My aim is to take one grandchild out each week for "a walk with grandpa". We go for a walk to a special park by a river, then go for ice-cream or a snack. The closeness that has grown between me and each grandchild is something special. The times we enjoy together are fun, entertaining, and sometimes hilarious. There is a special bond of love between this grandpa and each of them. My wife and I also enjoy looking after different ones together to give our married kids a break. They appreciate being able to escape for an occasional evening out, knowing their children are safe and happy with Grandpa and Grandma.
The fun times. The activities. The challenges. My thoughts on what it means. I have decided to call these stories "Days in the Life of a Grandpa". I invite you to subscribe to my elert gadget that will send you free samples of these stories direct to your desktop. What is it all about? Believing that a grandpa can make a difference in the life of his grandchildren. That grandchildren can fill a life with meaning and joy. And that together a grandpa and his grandchildren can share adventures and special times that will leave memories of joy and love imprinted in their minds as an anchor for all times. |
| 7 - NINE MOSQUITO BITES | Published: 16/01/08 |
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Part 7 - Days in the life of a grandpa -
Nine mosquito bites -
Amanda and I finish our visit with Great-Grandma at the Care
Facility where she lives.
Then we are off to a local park where a path runs beside a small
river.
A three level viewing platform is built out over the river.
We usually pick up leaves or stones to throw in the water.
This day there are no leaves lying on the path, but we pick up
stones from the gravel path and take turns throwing them into
the water. We say "THERE!" when we see the two expanding
circles made by our rocks touch as they ripple out from where
the stones splashed in.
We walk further along the path to a bench where we always sit and
rest. A larger river flows along before us. We sit in the warm
sunshine and look for birds or ducks. We watch a speedboat
roaring down the river. Sometimes a tug boat goes slowly by,
towing a boom of logs.
Amanda looks forward to hearing me sing "her special song, that I
made up for her just because I love her." I usually sing it to her
here, while we sit and relax on the bench by the big river.
Hers is the longest song of all the songs I have made up for my
grandchildren. It has twenty-two 4-line verses. I still get a few
of the words mixed up. So I carry a print-out of the words in my
shirt pocket to refer to when I get stuck.
Amanda pulls the paper out of my shirt pocket with a flourish.
She relaxes in my arms and enjoys reading the words and singing it
along with me. For a little girl just finishing kindergarten, she
has learned to read amazingly well. She won an award at the school
this year for her reading.
We sing through all 22 verses, and finish up with the last words -
Well, this song is finished; I have to say good-bye,
But one thing is very clear,
I love you and I will look forward to the time
The next time I see you, my dear.
We stand up and stretch, and start off down the next part of the
trail. It's the shady part - through a stand of beautiful tall
trees. A lady has already warned us that the mosquitoes are bad in
the shade there.
We start off, and before we have gone thirty feet we are smacking
mosquitoes off our arms. I have on jeans and a short-sleeved golf
shirt with a collar. Amanda has on shorts and a tank-top
tee-shirt that has more skin exposed for the mosquitoes to land on.
I explain I will walk behind her and try to get the mosquitoes as
soon as I see them land on her.
We end up running along the path, laughing as we try to "out-run"
the mosquitoes. It is crazy. I have never seen so many.
We burst out into the sunshine a little further along, and we are
free again. I guess mosquitoes like the shade more than the direct
sunshine.
We relax out on a second viewing platform where the little river
flows out and joins the big river. We walk onto the center part of
a bridge that spans the little river just before it joins. We
throw more rocks down into the water, and watch our widening
circles until the ripples touch each other.
Then we start back. We are prepared to run this time through the
shady part. I think we have gotten through unscathed.
(But the next day Beth drops by Daren and Jenna's house for
something, and Amanda tells her to be sure and tell Grandpa that
she got NINE mosquito bites on our walk.
She isn't upset with Grandpa, but she wants him to know. When
Beth goes to leave, Amanda asks her, "Now Grandma, what are you
going to tell Grandpa when you see him?" Beth assures her that
she won't forget.
Beth tells me. I feel terrible. I thought I had protected her
from the tiny aerial dive-bombers. But that's nine less bites she
will have to endure during her life....)
But back to our walk....
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