The Last Grandparent

My eleven grandchildren range in age from five to thirty (nearly).  The great majority of them are well over twenty but the three youngest, the Tyler trio, have lost all but one grandparent.  Actually they never knew Lane's father who died when Lane was still in his teens.  They were close to Kathy's father, Papa, or Paul Williams, and he has only been gone for three years.  But last night Lane's lovely young mother, Merridonna Thompson, passed away in Mother Francis Hospital at only sixty four.  Her health had been on the decline but this was still a stunning turn of events.

And so, I am their last grandparent standing.  Its a daunting position to be in.  It would be more expected for the older grandchildren but except for Tom, they all have active grandparents in their lives, around their activities.

Now Kagan, Kallie and Kyndall have only me.  Its a really good thing that I decided to head up here last summer so we could become better acquainted.  I enjoy spending part of almost every day with some or all of them.

Yesterday Kagan and I made baklava together, the easier Turkish kind.  We made it last year for a school history project and pretended it was the Greek style.  He liked it, we all do, and so it was yesterday's project and it turned out quite well.

A few nights ago Kyndall and I were having a quiet, getting ready to fall asleep conversation when she said, "Gramma, I hope you will always be my babysitter."  I said, "Kyndall, I don't think you're going to want a babysitter when you're thirteen years old."  She said, after consulting fingers on both hands, "lets see, I'm five now so that is eight more years. Okay."  "Then I'll be eighty."  Wow, she said, that's when people die isn't it?

I hope I get to see her turn thirteen and not need me anymore.  There are no guarantees, of course, but I'd like to think these three sweet kids will have at least one grandparent for a few more years.