My Best Buddy!

Ever since my grandson was born, almost 6 years ago, I have had My Best Buddy! He is a typical boy with an unbounded interest in everything around him. Don't get me wrong, he can easily be distracted by other things going on. For example, he was playing in a T-Ball league this summer and while in the field, he could be noticed looking around at anything going on outside the lines. He doesn't miss much. When his father takes on a job around the house, my grandson pitches in to help. He approaches everything with the bright, clear mind of a child. Once his father was doing some yard work wearing work gloves. My grandson needed gloves too, but was quite content to wear a pair of his winter gloves. He knew that working with his father was the important thing, not the appropriateness of his gloves. Of course, that will change as he gets older, but for now he really gets the important things - in this case, helping his Dad.

When I spend the night at my daughter's, I always remind my grandson to please wake me up in the morning, and he always does. His bright smile makes my day as he whispers, "Pop-Pop get up!" or as he pokes me gently. Then he usually climbs into bed with me and we talk for a few minutes. With a jump, he is up and out of bed announcing that it is time for "us" to shave. All he does is watch me as I lather my face and use the razor. I wouldn't trade these moments for anything. Some days we go to breakfast with his mother, father and sister. My grandson rides with me and we "race" to see who gets to the restaurant first. He watches for all the red lights and tells me when to stop and when to go. At breakfast, he fixes my coffee by adding the sweetener and the milk. He stirs the coffee and then asks me to tell him if it is good. He is ready to add more sweetener or milk if I tell him the coffee isn't good yet.

My grandson loves to run, literally. He runs in the backyard, around the house, anywhere that running is appropriate. He always greets me with a smile and a hug.

And, when I speak with him on the phone, he always asks me if I am coming to his house today. Unfortunately, I live about 2 and 1/2 hours away by car. So seeing him is not as often as I would like. But, when I do see him, it makes my day. Thank God I have my grandson, My Best Buddy!

Family

No doubt, family is the greatest joy and asset I have. However, contrary to what Mama Corleone told Michael in The Godfather II, you can lose your family through death, divorce and estrangement. I lost my father this year. His memory is sometimes vivid, and I find myself at times thinking about what he said or how he would react. Like many I have gone through divorce. And, I am experiencing estrangement from an important family member. Estrangment, for me, is the hardest loss to deal with. The estranged is still alive (Thank God!) and still accessable. That is what makes it tough. How do I access them? A birthday card and a Christmas gift are the only access these days. There is no reciprication. There is hope that some day this estrangement will resolve, and we can be connected again. Until that time, all I can do is wait and think and evaluate what I have done, and what I might do next. If there is more, I am not aware of it. Perhaps someone else in my family will give me an insight. Offsetting these losses is the joy of family! My grandchildren offer in their beautiful smiles and their joy of life the hope that all is truly right in the world - at least in their world. And, I can escape into that world of theirs being led by those tiny hands. There really isn't anything like that. Not for me.

What's this about?

Blogging. I don't know what to say about blogging. It gives us a chance to write down whatever. Some folks have been doing it a long time. Others, like me, have just started doing it. Actually, I am motivated by my daughters blog, which I first read today (it's only a few days old). I didn't know she wrote so well. I will post her blog's url here if I get her permission. I guess the money spent on her education included some time spent in composition and grammer. Blogging is a formal process that takes our thoughts, ideas, etc. and puts them into words potentially seen by everyone. In my mind it is like a personal editorial page. I can editorialize on any subject I want. Now, that sounds like a really good thing. Of course, there is the need to have a subject to write about. Let me see...subjects. I have a lot to choose from: current events from politics, local news, sports, television, theater, movies, to family and friends, special occassions, driving in NJ, airport security, and the like. The preceeding is just a minute number of topics. I'll have to pick one, or another not listed, and get on it. So, that's what blogging is all about. Picking and writing. I contend that in the process of picking and writing, I am thinking, so I am true to the title of my blog. Actually, I will have to pick something, think about it and write, excuse me, blog about it! But now it is time to go home and see what adventures await on the Jersey highways this Friday afternoon. Hooray, I'm a blogger!