Grandpa-Fish

Being a grandpa is AWESOME!  There is something unique about how a grandchild can melt your heart and how a grandpa can make a grandchild scream with joy.  This past weekend I experienced both.

Jerrea' and I met our daughters in St.George this past weekend to spend some time together.  My highlight was going swimming at the condo pool.  Jackson (4) and Hattie (3) plunged into the one foot deep water on the kiddie end of the pool (Hattie actually just plunged her feet, at first.).  Soon I was doing the "grandpa" thing - pretending to be a shark or whale.  Soon Jackson said:  "Hey Grandpa, you are a Grandpa-Fish.  Hattie watch out for the Grandpa-fish, he will get you!"  Of course, part of the fun was to let Grandpa-Fish actually catch you and gobble you up.  We exhausted ourselves in the simple joy of playing the Grandpa-Fish game - grandpa and his two grandkids.

Memories created with those you care about can be the sunshine in a rainy day, the warmth of a hug when you feel lonely, and the meaning you seek in a seemingly pointless existence.  Both creating the memory, and reliving the memory can provide a renewable source of happiness.

We are all busy.  We have our agendas.  We really don't want to be troubled or stretched outside our comfort zone.  But we will at times receive whispering impressions like:  "Paul, you should really put down your book and get your swimsuit on and go swim with the grandkids."  There are precious rewards for following these whisperings.

Though grandpa-hood is great, you can be the Daddy-Fish, Uncle-Fish, Big Brother-Fish, or Whoever-Fish that someone else needs.  Make a smile, make a memory.