I’m focused on my grandchildren for the next few days, spending quality time with them and making memories that will be cherished. Their parentals are leaving me in charge of them for a few days. “A grandchild fills a space in your heart that you never knew was empty,” Unknown. Once you have grandchildren you’ll understand why they’re called “grand” children. I love Andy Rooney’s quote on grandchildren, “Elephants and grandchildren never forget.” Yep, promise them something and they’ll hold you to it.

Left in the afternoon after a dentist appointment driving to Georgia under a pretty pastel sky spitting rain from cigar smoke clouds. Traffic was heavier than my usual morning trips, had to pay attention instead of enjoying the countryside. I’m looking forward to spending time with the children, seeing their sweet happy faces when they greet me.

I love to hear my grandchildren laugh and I try not to laugh when a lively brother-sister squabble emerges. I asked my son what to do when the boys squabble and he said, “Whack em.” Haven’t had to whack ‘em yet. I think spending time with our grandchildren keeps generations of the family together, keeps family traditions alive, keeps us oldsters young, enriches the children’s lives.

I’m packing now for the visit. I’m putting the essentials in my suitcase — Whoopi cushions, blackjack cards, poker chips, candy cigarettes (just kidding, no candy cigarettes), bird guides, chewing gum, mini cokes, Rubik cubes, bo-lo bouncers. The kids will babysit me. I can’t even turn on the tv or the gas stove without the children’s help. They are so sweet and solicitous to me. They get my suitcase out of the car, carry my things downstairs to the guest room, help me safely down the stairs. We’ll build playing card houses and play board games. We’ll have games of Go Fishing and Solitaire around the kitchen table, race a few Mario Brothers Karts around the tv screen. Hope we can play Scrabble, too, it’s my favorite game.

My granddaughter will make brownies and we’ll eat the whole pan at one time. She’ll help me cook, she makes great scramble eggs. She’ll be my sous chef, making sure I cook everything just like her mama does. My grandsons will give me the latest football and basketball statistics, help me work on my basketball free throws, help me refine my referee skills when a disagreement breaks out. We’ll have popcorn on movie nights and might declare Saturday Pajama Day. And we’ll laugh, we always have lots of laughter on my visits.

Biblical scripture says that grandchildren are blessings from God. Proverbs 17:6 says “Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their parents.” God designed grandparents to fill so many different roles — teachers, role models, surrogate parents when needed, mentors, even playmates. But maybe our greatest role is to live a Christian life and become a disciple of God in our relationship with our grandchildren.

Deuteronomy 4:9 instructs us to teach God’s commandants to our children and their children. “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”

Grandparents serve a biblical role in their families with the responsibility of being sure the family’s faith in God is nurtured and passed on to the next generation. The most important thing we can give our children and our grandchildren is unconditional love. The greatest gift we can give our grandchildren is to pass our faith and heritage to them, teaching them about God and sharing our spiritual experiences.

The unconditional love of a grandparent is a beautiful gift. Love your grandchildren, truly listen to them, give them undivided attention, buy them Whoopi cushions, and occasionally sprinkle them with fairy dust.

“We measure the joy of grandchildren in the heart.” — Unknown