My Instead: I took my grandson Andy over to his great grandpa's to visit while I cleaned his house.
Every first Tuesday of
the month, I am scheduled to clean the house of my ex-father-in-law, Joe. Joe is the sweetest and the kindest man I know. Also, on every other
Tuesday I am scheduled to watch my grandson Andy while his mom works her one
day a week to retain her skills as a sonographer. Eventually, however, it happens that
these Tuesdays collide and I have Andy on his great-grandpa’s cleaning day.
Andy entered Joe's house
without apprehension. He had his tractor-trailer truck filled with his Matchbox
cars and he was ready to play. I, on the other hand, was ready to work and then
get on with our day of just being together. Andy went back and forth between me
and his great grandpa Joe, enjoying both of us as 2-year-olds are apt to do. I
was even able to clean Joe’s house in record time because Andy was so good at being
preoccupied.
Then of course, I had to get
a photo of my grandson with his 91-year-old great grandpa…always a Kodak moment
between generations. Andy and great grandpa posed nicely for Grandma
Photographer. Then I asked Andy to put his arm around his grandpa’s neck and he
did. But shortly thereafter, his eyed welled up like a pin was sticking him. Andy just couldn’t shake it. Hold on, Andy! Grandma
has to torture you with a few more shots. There...done.
We finished our visit
with tears and wailing. Andy switched moods like a lamp set to turn on with a
timer and that time was NOW. Nothing would soothe him…except leaving. And we
did.
Great Grandpa Joe
understood and did not take it personally. He had witnessed the Andy that
lights up seeing all the newness that surrounds him every day. And maybe Joe
saw a little bit of himself in his great grandson. After all, he’s there
somewhere in that little boy. I only hope that Andy grows up to be the kind of
man that he got to play with that day.
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