“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

Winnie the Pooh

Tomorrow morning we will drive to Dallas, board our flight to Chicago, and then drive to Michigan for a night at my sister’s before heading back to reality. I will enjoy the flight back and spend it reflecting on our visit with Eleanor and her family. This holiday season I didn’t have any post-holiday letdown because I knew our January Granddaughter Lollapalooza was on the horizon.  

 We have always been long distance grandparents, but the longest distance is the one to Eleanor in Texas.   We Facetime on a regular basis. She now throws us kisses and shows us how to pour tea from her teapot and feed her stuffed panda with a spoon.  But as every grandparent knows, it’s not the same as being there.  

So I am tickled pink that we were able to spend a few days with Eleanor and her parents. We had a spectacular time.  We made trips to the park, splashed in the pool and thoroughly enjoyed that each day she warmed up to us a bit and was more comfortable.

I never thought I would be hundreds of miles from all of my grandchildren.  I had always envisioned being a part of their lives on a fairly regular basis – Sunday dinners, overnights while their parents had a date night, or picnics at the park or beach.  As this is not my reality, Mr. Smith and I have endeavored to make regular visits to see our children and grandchildren.   As I relax and quit worrying about life not being as I thought it would be, I find there is more and more to love about being a grandparent. Another exercise in making our life the best that we can make it.

C’est la vie…