Grandsons and Reflections in Church

We just got back from a two week visit to Corpus Christi, Texas, where we visited and stayed with daughter Jennifer, son-in-law John, wonder dog Caesar the 100 pound yellow lab, and of course my buddies, Luke 7, James 3, and Paul 4 months. At age 40, I assume Jen is "done" but who knows, maybe she will go for all 12 disciples. A bit of candor is in order here, and I trust I will not offend my favorite daughter. I am 65 years of age and Diane is 63 though she doesn't look it. We are active people and rather live our lives "on the go." However, 13 consecutive days with the Stevenson threesome was a challenge from the physical stamina standpoint. These guys are up at 7 a.m. and generally go to bed around 8 p.m., but they are active. I might also add that Jen is a terrific Mom and the boys are very respectful and well behaved. The good news is that Luke, James, and Paul really love their grandparents and look forward to our time together but they do wear us out. Grandparenting for us would be about 3 hour visits, or an all-day excursion, and an occasional overnight stay but not 13 days, but since we live so far away, we find it necessary to make up for the miles and hours that separate us and keep us from shorter trips.

Truth be known, baby Paul belongs to Grandma and his Mom as he is still nursing. When not with Jen, he is with Grandma cooing, laughing, and smiling. He has a wonderful temperament. The other two boys are mine. Their nicknames for me are Darth Vadar, Jack Sparrow, Mr. Fun, and most importantly The King. I took a daily walk at 5:30 a.m. (my quiet time) and by 7 a.m. I was back in bed waiting for my little buddies to arrive which they did like clockwork. We watched Sesame Street, ate fruit prepared by Grandma, and discussed reasons why I am The King which translates into little physical games like the scissors, head nuggies, and the chin on the chest which is a challenge for me as I am chin deprived.

James and I then take Luke to school and return home where we play Star Wars and at 10 a.m. take a wagon ride to the local grocery store where James has a donut and bottle of chocolate milk to ensure that he is not hungry for lunch but heck that's the joy of being a grandparent. At 1 p.m. James and Paul lie down for an hour or so with Jen and then it is time for Diane and me to rest. At 2:30 James and I leave to pick up Luke from school and stop for ice cream on the way home which, you guessed it, spoils their appetite for dinner. Heh, I never said I was perfect, but I do know how to keep my little friends happy. We then return home where I pretend to take a nap in the little, and I mean little, 4 foot in diameter swimming pool while the boys torment me with snakes, sharks, and alligators. It is amazing. It matters not that the three of us are crowded into this little pool. What counts is that we are together, laughing, and having fun.



After dinner we play pirates and then Grandma reads them a story and Jen puts them to bed after they say their prayers. This routine was repeated everyday so by the time we left donuts and ice cream were daily staples so Jen and John were left to "reeducate” their sons on the need for a non-Papa diet. I am not sure how Jen does it since her schedule includes laundry, meals, chauffeuring, homework, discipline, nurturing, cleaning, paying bills and every unforeseen contingency that comes her way. Did I mention that Jennifer also has a part-time job managing an apartment complex? Did I also mention that for most of the time, John departs Corpus on Monday mornings and does not return until Friday nights because of his job? A couple of college girls watch James and Paul about twice a week; however, Jennifer takes James and Paul to the apartment complex at least once a week where she works. I told John I think we guys get off easy. Sure, we work hard but the emotional drain of raising kids is staggering. I guess that's why you have children when you are young. Jennifer and John are doing a fantastic job with our three grandsons but it is a daily commitment of being consistent.

By the way, while there, Paul was christened, Diane and I took the older two boys for an overnight stay at a hotel in San Antonio, managed to take Jen out for a couple of dinners, and John took me to my first Texas high school "Friday Night Lights" football game. We even squeezed in a couple of hours with son Gordon and daughter-in-law Lisa (one of Paul’s Godmothers) at the baptism and lunch, so it was a wonderful sojourn to the Lonestar State.

I hope I continue to improve. That may sound like a strange statement but everything happens so gradually that it is hard to ascertain or mark progress. I thought about this in church Sunday as it dawned on me that I was, indeed, in church and a year ago I couldn't make it through the whole service as fatigue would mandate my early departure. In the past, I had to get up for a drink of water and that has no longer been an issue. Diane even commented the other day that I am standing up straighter than I did a few months ago. Naturally, I took this comment well and after reacting poorly agreed that she was correct and this is another example of regaining my health. As a matter of fact, I believe that I am close to being the old Gordy from a physiological standpoint. That is a big plus; I walk, jog a bit, planted 300 tulips, raked leaves and completed interview number 180 last week on the Across the Miles TV show. I still go to bed early and get up by 5 a.m. but then I have always been an early riser. My taste buds are slow to return but I am no longer tethered to a water bottle. I saw my regular doctor yesterday and I doubt that my weight will get back to 170 but rather will stay in the 160-165 range. Not sure if that is good or bad but that is reality as food is just not a priority for me.

I am due for a visit with the Ear, Nose,Throat doctor in Burlington and of course, that is an anxious time but I am optimistic. I will keep you posted. As for grandson Luke, he wins the "tell it like it is" award. While enjoying our ice cream one afternoon, he looked over at me and said, "Papa, you look good, but your hair is turning white." Yup, grandparenting is the best.

Too Much Too Soon But Much Better

James and Aunt Lisa

The Stevenson visit was wonderful but "we are showing our age." We don't see our grandsons as often as we'd like so when we do, it's like we need to cram in six months of attention in six days. Usually that would work out, but this time it really drained us. I must admit, neither Diane or myself would have done anything differently as the photos from our last posting clearly demonstrate but we simply ran out of gas. I think we tend to forget the 800 pound gorilla who lives with us until the results of the PET scan at the end of the month. He is always there, waiting for us to let down our guard, get complacent, and figure everything is behind us. It is not nor will it ever totally be gone from our lives. My guess is that there is some underlying residual stress that is always there waiting to manifest itself if we don't take care of ourselves.

In a way, and I'm a bit of an expert on this because of my parents' travails, cancer is more than a little like alcoholism--just when you think you have things under control, it jumps up and bites you in the ass. It lurks in the background just waiting for a moment of weakness and then pounces on that opportunity to give you a set back.

Diane actually got sicker than me so naturally being "Gordy Taylor," I said and I quote "how long will I have to take care of you, when will this crap end, why are you sleeping at 3 in the afternoon??" You get the drift. I'm lucky I have my own room to sleep in right now. We both had a good laugh, but it has been a long week and we are just now getting back to normal. Today, I walked for the first time in a week at the Rec Center so it is back to baby steps. As I mentioned in the previous entry, it was suddenly like I was back in early June at the apex of my discomfort or maybe the nadir--take your pick.

The wedding curse continues. While I was ambivalent about my attendance Saturday morning, all I had to do was look at Diane, and I realized we were going no where. This is the fourth wedding I've missed since all this has happened; I hope it is the last one. I did get a chance to talk with the sisters of the groom Saturday morning before they took off for the wedding which was nice.

I did an "Across the Miles" yesterday and am doing another one tomorrow. Other than that, we plan to lay low and maybe take in a movie and the WIU/ISU football game here in Macomb.