How might I truly cherish this day?

A timely question for me today! As grandparents, even though we see our grandchildren regularly, we have a “All Grandkids” sleepover at our house two or three times a year during winter and summer school vacations. We have seven grandchildren, but the youngest, age three, needs to be a bit older before she’ll be okay to spend overnight in a large room from with her six other cousins ranging in age from 10 to 16.

But, as tiring as it can be for my wife and I, between shopping and preparing food for their stay from mid afternoon until the following afternoon, it’s always a special time which we savor. Even though they all see one another frequently, they come together here year after year and truly seem to look forward to what has become a family tradition, as they all giggle and horse around until the last one conks out around midnight. It’s a time that my wife and know will one day pass into memory, as they grow onward and upward, and we, eventually, will one day feel too old to pull off ourselves. So, we savor and cherish these memorable moments that are unfolding right now before our eyes. As I write while it’s still dark outside, just knowing that six other human lives are sprawled out and asleep on the other side of the house is itself, a thing of wonder to behold.

By midafternoon, the parents will return and scoop up their kids, and Grampa here, after waving goodbye, will head up the stairs and take a long nap! Mission accomplished.