A Day With a Grandson

Having visits with family and friends is nothing new for us. It is however special when you have a one on one with any of the grandchildren. A year or so ago I was fortunate to have a whole day with Troy, our youngest and it was a day to remember. Yesterday I was privileged to share the best part of a day with Henry, the second youngest of the boys.

He was dropped off by his father on the way to work and after a pizza for lunch we were on our own. There was much to discuss as Henry just returned from a gliding school where he earned his wings for gliding. This was a challenging effort and after two weeks and countless flights he became proficient enough to solo and have that wonderful experience of gliding through the air with the only sound being the pounding of your heart and the air passing along the skin of the glider.

Henry was so animated in his description of the summer at the Arthur Airport. It seemed every event that took place was a life changer and he recognized one part of his life would be connected in some way to flying. His log book was examined and he recorded every flight exactly so as to be a true record of his time in the air. I was taken with him on some of his flights, so vivid were his accounts of the adventure. I share his love of flying and experienced and will in the future live in part vicariously with his travels through the air.

Pool was not missed or left out and we played 7 games and this time I took time to teach him a few basic skills to make him more competitive the next time we get together as a family. He was a quick learner and could have had his share of wins except for some bad luck.

A spaghetti supper and a visit to two of his cousins completed the evening but we still had more time to talk and share long into the night as his Dad would not pick him up until 1:30 am. I recognized the onset of the need for sleep and suggested a blanket on the couch would bring some comfort and eventually sleep.

Before he slept he once again thanked us for his late birthday gift and expressed his feelings for the good day. All of our grandchildren are special to us but there is something extra special when you have one of them all to yourself.