Good-Bye for Now

In forty-eight hours, my younger son and his family will be on the road to Denver where he’s taken a teaching job. It’s a super opportunity, and as his mom, I am so happy for him. But I sure am going to miss picking up my grandchildren from school and listening to them talk about their days, tease each other, and make fun of me for my unerring ability to “get lost anywhere.” (Sad but true)

Every get-together in these final days that they’re in town feels bitter sweet. Suddenly, every outing becomes “the last time we’ll do this before they move.”

Yesterday, my son, seven year old granddaughter, and I spent the afternoon at the pool, where she proudly showed us her underwater flips and new swimming skills. “Daddy, watch me!” “Look at this, Mee-Ma!” We watched and applauded. I snuck in lots of hugs. Three hours later, we were exhausted, but she was ready for more and complained loudly when we said it was time to go check out K-Mart’s closing sale.

All complaints were forgotten, however, the moment we stepped inside the store. While her dad went off to the men’s section in search of work pants, my granddaughter herded me over to the kids’ section to check out the tops and dresses. Like an old pro, she combed through the racks, pulling out items of interest and holding them up for closer inspection. “The colors are good,” she commented about a top, “but I don’t like the circles in the design.”

I admit it. As a former tomboy whose two sons had to be dragged into stores to shop, I was fascinated and mesmerized by this pint-sized fashionista. I dutifully followed her from rack to rack, until she was satisfied that she’d found tops with the right colors and designs.

As we stood in the checkout line, I bent down and told her I had a secret. I whispered in her ear: “I love you.”

My granddaughter rolled her eyes. “Oh Mee-Ma, that’s not a secret! You’ve told me that millions of times.”

Well, yeah, that’s true. And I’ll probably tell her that a million more times, only now there will be lots more “I Iove you’s” on the phone instead of in person.

And lots more airplane tickets charged to my credit card bill. After all, there may be some great closing sales my granddaughter and I need to hit in Denver.

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