What makes the pull of family so strong for some of us? Ten months ago, in September 2015, we uprooted ourselves from a beautiful life in Maine to move to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. And all because of this darling little boy, along with his parents.
When Emily, our daughter, was growing up, we lived in Maine and her grandparents were in Texas. A visit with them was a BIG DEAL-lots of planning, a long plane flight and the need to stay for a certain period of time to make the trip worthwhile. Expectations on both sides were huge and the flurry of cooking and cleaning exhausting. We made it work-had to- and Emily was close to her grandparents. We all had some wonderful times together and I cherish those memories.
But that's not what I wanted, as a grandmother. I wanted to be day-trip close enough. Forget the missed birthday parties and the need for plane reservations months in advance. Drop the expectations of occasional visits. I wanted to be a part of Zev's life on a regular basis and now it's a fact.
We are close enough that just about every week Zev gets home baked blueberry muffins. He expects them (an expectation I can handle!) and that simple thing makes me pinch myself, to see if I will wake up from this good dream. "Nana's house" is a place he loves and he doesn't just visit once or twice a year. We have our favorite books and songs and he always gets a 'cello lesson from Bill.
Yes, this post is an ode to my grandson, but not at the expense of daughter and son-in-law. Being a part of their lives, too, is a great gift.
It has been hard to get this blog started and please don't worry, it won't be just about grandparenting. I just thought I'd say why we have started life anew. If you'd like to know more, check out Lost in Maine.
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