Whatcha Doin', Mom

Once in a while my phone will ring. I hear the voice of one of my adult children asking, "Whatcha doin', Mom," this afternoon or tomorrow or whenever. Then they will ask if I would like to come for an afternoon or evening, and spend time with my grandchildren. Sometimes there is a meal involved, like fish that David caught up north, or burgers on the grill. We aren't talking fancy here, and I don't need fancy. I don't even need to be fed. But I do need to see my grandchildren now and then, so off I go.

I love just watching the little ones. They are so busy. They color pictures for me to put up on my refrigerator. It is well wallpapered, and there is always room for more. They play games or involve me in some of their activities, like playing "Beauty Shop." We have gone to the park and played on the swings. They show off what they can do on the playground equipment. "Look, Grandma, what I can do!"

Sometimes the older grandchildren are there too. I am impressed with how good the older ones are with the younger set. They play with them, and make them laugh. Music to my ears. Nicki spent an evening putting French braids in the little girls' hair. Chris usually grabs Jacob, and soon the baby is giggling, too. How I love it all.

I also love it when Chris and Nicki tell me about what is going on in their lives - places they have been, or the sports they are involved in, or what they are doing at school. Because I work so much of the time, I am not able to go to their games or school activities, and having them tell me about them makes me feel connected. They are well on their way to becoming adults, and even though I love them, I like them as well. They are not babies any more, and are becoming good people. Makes my heart glad.

My son who doesn't have children will also call once in a while and ask, "Whatcha doin', Mom?" The last couple of times that happened, he and his lovely friend Kathy picked me up and took me to lunch, and afterward we went to do a little shopping. I thoroughly enjoyed those days.

The last time I heard, "Whatcha doin', Mom," David and his family came and picked me up. I had an errand to run at Target, so we went there first. As we were going into the store, Jill pulled up in her van, and I talked with her for a time. After we got back to my place, the phone rang, and Jill invited us all to her house for burgers on the grill. We had such a nice time. The kids played and the adults engaged in conversation. After a while, I sat back and just looked around me at my family, and I thought about how truly blessed I am.

These days some of my favorite words are, "Whatcha doin', Mom."

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