Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Foggy In More Ways Than Not

I just got back from taking my grandson Billy (14 1/2) and granddaughter Caitlyn (11 1/2) in to school this morning. It turned in to be just the thing I needed to kick start my day!

Just before we went out the door the weather man was stating the visibility in the area due to fog; that turned out to be the topic of conversation on our drive in to school. All three of us were discussing  the meaning of the word visibility and what .25 visibility meant, when suddenly the van in front of us on a curvy back road braked.

 Caitlyn who was sitting in the back seat asked me why the vehicles in front of us were going so slow, and I explained to her that the car in front of the van turned off on a side road causing the van to suddenly hit it's brakes due to the bad visibility. I went on to explain that I was sure they were now driving slower to be extra careful as it is hard to see what is in front of them.

Here is the conversation that followed this event:

Billy immediately asked her,  "Caitlyn, if you were in the woods right now would you run or  walk?"

Caitlyn replied, "Depends on what noises I hear!"

(I am now smiling as I see where Billy is going with this conversation and it is obvious that Caitlyn doesn't have a clue:)

Billy then takes a deep, calm breath and philosophically says, "OK, if you were in a dark house with no lights on would you run or walk?"

Caitlyn in a very perky voice answers, " Well...sometimes I run in the house :)"
(Still not getting it.. so by now, and even as I write this, I am laughing out loud)

Finally, with voice raised a few decibels Billy exclaims, "Caitlyn! I am trying to make you understand why you have to go slower and be more careful when it is foggy out and you can't see, don't you get it? !!!!"

Caitlyn sweetly replies, "Oh!"

OH MY GOSH, this made my day and I have been smiling ever since!!

It just goes to show what a wealth of fun and "feel goods" a person can get by engaging young people in conversation and discussion. It's my favorite part of being a mom and grandma.

Hope you are all taking time to talk to your kids and enjoying every adventure it leads you on.
 Have a great day!

Monday, November 4, 2013

HEADSTONES AND SHOVELS

Two weeks ago I was riding up north with my son Blake and his two sons Tate (10 1/2) and Easton (3 1/2) when we drove past my hometown cemetery.
 I told the boys that this is where my mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, great grandma, great grandpa and my brother were buried.  Easton, being an inquisitive conversationalist at his age, immediately exclaimed,
 "Is there an X there?" 
 Unsure of what he meant at first, I hesitated until Blake chuckled quietly to me that he was talking about pirates and grave yards.  I had to smile, and replied that there weren't any X's there, just headstones with their names on it!
 I explained that some day I would have to take them there to show them where everyone's grave was. Without a moment of hesitation, he asked,
 " Should I bring my shovel?"
At this point neither Blake nor myself could contain ourselves any longer and  we started to laugh out loud while telling him that we wouldn't need any shovels as we didn't want to dig them up as they were happy in heaven right now, and there were only bones left in the grave.
He excitedly asked,
 "Do they have clothes on in heaven?"
 Still smiling at his questions, I assured him that I was sure they did.  Suddenly Tate, who had been soaking all of this in, asked,
"So if their bones are here are they kind of squishy up in heaven?"
Hmmm, way to keep me on my toes...  I told him that I was sure they were all healthy and standing just fine as God makes everything OK again. I had to wonder  to myself how this conversation went from a nostalgic type of tone to one of a spooky graveyard and an alien type of finale!

However that happened, it sure made for a fun ride and a great conversation, one I will never forget. I sure love those guys:)