They came. They ate. They conquered my heart. And then they ate some more.

I haven’t done much arting this summer. But I have a good excuse. For 18 days my life was turned upside down, inside out and all other ways catty-wumpus.

The grandkids were here!

And my priorities–the things that consumed my life before their arrival–suddenly weren’t priorities anymore. I didn’t need to paint or work on my art biz. I didn’t need to watch the news or keep up with what was going on in the world.

I needed to be in the moment. To make memories for them and for myself. I needed to swim for fun, not exercise. To dodge the shark in the pool. To make a mental MP3 of belly laughs and squeals of excitement when they jumped into the pool or into the river, the same river their parents loved as children.

I needed to slow down the hikes and piggyback the 5 year old when the going got tough and his feet hurt. Which was every hike. Every. Single. One. And to let the girl cousins walk on ahead so they could share their secrets.

I needed to stop while they ate blackberries picked from the side of the road. To pause and wait and wait some more while the littlest slid down a pile of dirt over and over and over again.

I needed to sit on the curb during a street festival, sharing a bowl of overpriced chicken teryaki, eating it with grubby fingers–theirs and mine–and thinking everything right there and then was perfect.

I needed to eat ice cream and popsicles nearly every day. With no guilt. I needed to be gracious when offered a lick of a half eaten mess of a cone and share mine in return.

I needed to be calm with chaos. With toothpaste on the sink and blocks and cars and random toys underfoot. With meltdowns when the youngest was tired.

I needed to listen to what was really being said, not just the words. Listen to their fears and expectations. Listen and hold their confidence in trust.

I needed to send them back home knowing it will most likely be another year before we see each other again. Knowing that everyone (except me) will be another head taller the next time.

I needed to be the unwavering love they’ll remember when they’re grown and I’m long gone, the grandma that made summers a special time when they were young.

And I needed three days of sleep after they left!

When I was a kid I was blessed with the absolute best grandmother a kid could have. Here’s a heavenly shout out to Sophie Hill Keese, AKA Nana. She is still very much alive in the hearts of her grands, and a family legend to the greats and beyond. Her memory always has been, and always will be, a blessing