Visit from Mom and Dad

Grandma and Grandpa, who flew in from far away Phoenix, left a few days ago after spending a couple of days with us. I wish all the Grandparents lived nearby because they all have so much to offer the younger generation. I always enjoy hearing how they see the kids in comparison in remembering little Kenny. It makes me love Kenny and the little ones all the more. We spent most of our time at home since they had so much more traveling to do and it is really the best place to be if one wants to catch up with another. We did take dinner over to Kenny's Aunt and Uncle who live nearby because this Aunt and Uncle have a very special relationship with his mom and dad. The Aunt is his Mom's sister and the Uncle is his Dad's brother! His Aunt is so young that she is the same age as one of his sisters. His mom was the oldest of 10. She had 8 herself. I remember the days when we first married and they still had four teens living at home. We would sit around the table drinking a pot of coffee at their home laughing and talking till the wee hours of the morning. (talking about important issues was and still is this side of the family's favorite pastime) The young married couples would pop in and out and even crash for the weekends. We all miss those days. But now I see how good it is that they have some kind of rest from the constant activity. I know they still feel for and pray for all of their grandkids like always. We feel blessed to have them make the long trip to come see us.
I met a lady, who was ooohing and aahing the children, in the grocery store today. She ended up telling me how she was one of 16. She said they "always knew how to have a good time without pushing buttons" and she said she "taught children that praying was just talking to God like you would talk to her". She and I both got a little teary eyed as we talked about how insecure things are for most kids these days. I just feel so frustrated that we lock our old people and our young up in institutions all day when they could touch our society in so many ways. Like John Gatto , author of Dumbing us Down says, " we are not reminded of our past or think of our future" when we live like this. We live in networks and not communities. I wish I could have heard all the stories this elderly woman had stored up inside.