MEMORIES

Spring Break! The grand children are home from school, an opportunity to make a memory that will last a lifetime. I wanted it to be fun, an adventure!
The weather cooperated with my plan: wind howling, sun shinning, temperature mid 60's. We crammed 10 bathing suit clad children into cars and headed for the beach. My daughters were concerned because small craft advisories and undertow warnings had been posted ......but an adventure has to include an element of the unknown and adventure.
The water was icy cold and the wind blew sand so hard it stung our skin, but we had FUN!   The children frolicked in the sand dunes and splashed each other in the water. Eighteen month old Zeke chased sea gulls and got his bottom wet running away from sea foam and the smallest of waves.
Frozen to the core we piled back into cars and headed to the 80degree community swimming pool, primed for warmer water .
Our adventure left us starving; a hearty meal was next on the agenda, and a new experience in cooking. The boys started the charcoal barbecue with grandpa's supervision. Their job was to roast hotdogs and buns. The girls busily chopped veggies with adult knives while I taught the techniques of keeping fingers safe. The children all stretched their fledgling wings a bit and learned new life skills. A day of fun must be topped off with some-mores
 and "boy did we"! The day couldn't have been more wonderful or satisfying!

My desire is to build memories of love and happiness for my sixteen grand children. I have no way of knowing what the future holds for them but I do know that a foundation of love will help to sustain them through whatever life throws at them!
My grandmother gave me some of the best experiences of my childhood. As a love starved child her actions meant more to me than she could have ever imagined! She is probably the reason it is so important to me to intentionally build good things into my grand children's memories.