Adult Children

Yesterday my stepdaughter Cathleen came to visit. She bought our condo in San Diego last year just before we moved to the Central Coast of California--Watsonville--between Monterey and Santa Cruz. It was so good to see how well she looks, how happy she is, and how glad she was to see her dad and me.

Charles kept talking about her last night after she left and this morning too. He was relieved to see for himself that she is doing well. That's what we want for our kids, right? To know they are okay and to be sure they know that we are here for them no matter what.

I remember when Charles' parents were still alive. His mom referred to us as 'the kids' even though we were grayheads at that point and had 'kids' and grandkids of our own. I felt good knowing that I was still a 'kid' to someone. Now that they've taken the train to heaven and my parents have followed, we no longer have that buffer to old age. We're closer to heaven ourselves and though I hope to remain on earth another 15 to 20 years or more (God willing) I'm aware that there is less time ahead than behind. And I want to spend the time I do have with our family--our adult children, their spouses, and their kids.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of family, and the joy we share.