Do you have grandchildren? I am blessed with two wonderful grandchildren and one great-grandson. I love it when they come over and I can dazzle them with my stories of where I have been and what I have done. I also keep a little something that I can give them to impress them of my adventures. I don’t give them candy but advice on life and how much I love them.
This past weekend my daughter brought over her grandson to see Lorraine and I. Armani is a great little kid, he will be 2 years old his next birthday. He can laugh at my corny jokes even if he doesn’t understand them. So, since my bride and I have been so generous with him, he decided to bring us a present. He is such a generous, giving little tyke. I guess we weren’t paying as much attention to his giving ability because after Tara left, we went to bed — only to be awakened at 3 a.m. as I was sleeping soundly.
My blushing bride was in the bathroom making the strangest noises. Of course I was curious and got up to see if she was wrestling with an intruder or something. No, nothing like that, she was dealing with the gift that precious little boy had left us. It was then that I remembered Tara saying he wasn’t feeling very well when they showed up.
I don’t know exactly what he left us, but I can tell you that it was as dangerous a weapon that I had ever seen. Lorraine was down for two days and very ill with some kind of bug that wouldn’t leave. I don’t want the reader to worry. I was at her side the entire time holding her hand and trying to get her to drink some tea. As she started to feel a little better and to move around the house the next day, we again drifted into bed hoping she would never be stuck with such a horrible malady.
I was the newest victim of the generosity of my great-grandson. Yep! Three-thirty that morning I was reminded how much Armani loves us because I now had whatever had floored Lorraine. It was the worse I have felt in many months. I tried to blame it on the vaccine I had received, but Lorraine said it was the same memorable gift she had been left with. You know, I think it is the upbringing that my wonderful Armani is getting. I don’t remember any of MY children being so generous with their gifts.
The best part of this story is that Armani never skipped a beat. He was up and at life the next day, according to my daughter. What a wonderful little boy he is. He will probably get used to seeing his great-grandparents wearing those anti-flu suits we have seen so often by nurses during this pandemic, and he has already gotten a little less frightened when I come running out to see him wearing my mask as dictated by our governmental parents. I can’t wait to pay him back.
This was not the gist of what I was going to write about. My main message today was about decisions. Decisions that we have made about a variety of things and what the outcome of such decisions came to be. The last great decision I made was to ask my wife to marry me. It was the best decision I have ever made and has brought me great pleasures in my life.
I never thought about having more children. Tara was the blessing of her mother and I and took so much of my time I figured I was through the childbearing years pretty much unscathed. To be honest, I can’t remember a single discussion that was made before my two healthy boys were born. It just seemed to kind of happen. I had told my angel that I didn’t want another single child. After Austin was born and was such a good baby, we just decided to have another. I had never even considered having two additional members of the family, but it sure has been an adventure.
You know when you are born, you don’t get to make very many decisions that matter. Your parents pretty much make your decisions. However, once you reach a certain point in your life, that’s when you wonder what you should do next. My two older brothers had made their decision and joined the Marines. I was left at home with my younger brother who was six years younger than me.
When I turned 17, it was time for a decision. I joined the Army. That decision, along with me asking Lorraine to marry me, were two of the biggest decisions I can remember making. I made other important decisions, but those two stick out in my mind as having turned out to be the best ones. Having children just happened and I’m sure glad it did happen.
I don’t know what I shall do to pay Armani back for his unforgettable visit, but I am reminded of a time my two older brothers convinced me that Ex-Lax was a candy. Deciding to eat the foil wrapped gut bomb was not one of my best decisions, especially since I didn’t trust either one of my older siblings. I did eat it, and as I remember, the results of that folly and to this day I don’t care for chocolate. Hmm. I wonder if Armani might like to try one of those delectable treats.
God bless.
