June 7 – “On Grandparents and zoos”

We went to the Fort Worth Zoo yesterday with the boys.  And their parents, of course.  The last time I went to the zoo was back when we evacuated up here two years ago for Ike.  Somewhat less stress this time.  Mom came with us as well.  They provide free wheelchairs, so all she had to do was make it to the front gate, and she was the star of the show from that point on.  They had a train that went from one end of the park to the other.  After walking all the way to the back of the zoo and having our picnic lunch (which, by the way, we ate in the air-conditioned comfort of one of the restaurants inside the zoo), we all climbed on board.  They allowed us to take not only the wheelchair, but also the wagon we brought along, filled with diaper bags and ice chest.  The ride itself was strange.  The only animals we saw were a bunch of pink flamingos.  We passed by the backs of buildings mostly.  But the point of the ride was practicality.  It got us from one end of the park to the other.  Getting off was interesting.  There was no platform on that end of the line, so the step down was kind of steep.  We were in the process of helping Mom negotiate it when an attendant came over and said they had a stool for that.  She took off, checking every car behind us.  When she came back empty-handed we almost returned to strategizing about the best way to get Mom down short of me kneeling down and letting her step on my back.  That's when she found it, in the car in front of ours, not five feet away.  Much easier to walk down steps than hop off a tiny cliff.   It was great fun watching the boys watch the animals.  Especially Caleb.  He's about Cailyn's age, maybe a year and a half.  And everything is an exciting new discovery when you are a year and a half.  His face would light up when he would locate one of the exotic birds or brightly colored fish.  His little hand would start moving almost involuntarily in the basic sign language he has learned.  Or for the bigger beasts, he would attempt to recreate their sound.  Now that was fun to hear.  They all sound pretty much the same with just some variation in the growling.    Hanging out with both ends of the spectrum – grandkids and Mom – led me to remember that Mom and Dad's anniversary was June 4th.  I know they used to spend their anniversaries watching me play baseball when I was a kid.  I know we spent many hours coaching basketball or driving to soccer games when our kids were younger.  I also remembered our anniversary is Sunday, but that's another story.  But since I'm speculating philosophically, what's the allure of grandparents?  I never really knew my Granddads.  I have only a vague recollection of Mom's Dad.  He died before I turned five, so I'm not even sure if I'm remembering him or tales I've heard about him.  The only picture I have in my mind is of him and me outside in the back yard of our house on 36th and Avenue L.  The memory carries positive emotion with it, so I think I'll hang on to it.  I clearly remember being scared of my Dad's Dad.  He was a quiet, stern kind of guy, the deep sea fishing boat captain.  He, too, died when I was very young, so I really have no personal role model for being one of these grandparent creatures.  I guess I've become a combination of what I wish I had had and what I see Chris doing.  Anyway, it feels like it's been forever since we saw Zak & Caleb, but they have been amazing.  Hugging freely.  Laughing unrestrainedly.  Zak saying, "I want to sit by DadDad" when we have lunch.  Or Caleb's, "Up," when he wants to be lifted high enough over the privacy fence to see the neighbor's dogs.  It's going to be hard to leave today.  But then, when we get home, we do have Jachin and Micah and Cailyn and Josiah.  Ah, the tough life of a grandparent.  I think I could get used to it.   Psalms 13:5-6 says, "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.  6 I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me."   Father, thank you again for these little guys you have put into our life.  Help me get a handle on the whole grandparent thing.  Amen.