And here’s Grace, just five minutes ago, looking about 15 (I think). She’s off to Florida in the morning with her grandfather, for the whole week! I can’t believe their generosity in taking her for a week, and I also can’t imagine a week without her here. I feel a little sad about her being gone, but also excited for both her special time with her grandparents and for my one-on-one time with the monster otherwise known as Whit.
When I think about my grandparents, all of the fond memories are laquered with a slight sense of remove. They were always a little distant – seemed older, further away. Some of this is surely because we just didn’t see them that often. I am so delighted that Grace and Whit can grow up with their grandparents playing a more regular, day-to-day role in their lives. The fact that my mother can routinely pick Gracie up, or just hang out with her on a regular day, is an enormous source of joy for me. Poppy and the Russells are less a part of the day-to-day but Grace and Whit’s relationship with all three of them seems more casual, loving, and familiar than I remember feeling about my own grandparents. I’m sure some of this is the patina of time – and I don’t mean to convey anything other than tremendous affection and love for them. My grandmothers in particular have been hugely impactful on me. It’s just that I always felt a slight formality in my relationship to them that doesn’t seem present in Grace and Whit’s interactions with their grandparents. And what a blessing this is!
