A treasure

James on the tire swing at grandma and grandpa's house in Idaho, August 2005

We have all of our pictures since the boys birth on our computer, so sometimes when I just need to zone out (like I did this evening after trying to put the boys to bed for 2 hours) I like to watch the pictures float across our screensaver. It is amazing to see how my boys have changed and to see what a wonderful life we've had together as a little family thus far. It makes James' wimpering upstairs dimmer in the background as I'm reminded how much I love my boys, which I need reminding of after a looooong day with them.

Anyway, this picture came on the screen and I had to stop it and look at it for a few minutes. I feel like I have not seen this picture before. I must have because I took it and it's in with my pictures, but it seemed new to me. It was a treasure to find today.

I love that in this picture my dear Grandmother is pushing my son James on the tire swing that I swung on many summers of my childhood. I'm so glad that the boys were able to meet her. Even though they won't remember her or grandpa, they will have pictures and I will have stories for them of how wonderful they were.

Grandma has especially been in my heart lately as we've remembered her life these past weeks. She was so gentle, sweet, intelligent, humble and spiritual. I do miss her, but I feel glad for all the times I got to be with her. There weren't enough of those time of course since we lived far apart, but I have clear, fond memories of travelling "out West" for summer vacations. Those were wonderful times, and enough of Idaho is in my roots to make me feel that it will always be a home to me.

Now it is my parents who are the grandparents, my siblings and I who are the aunts and uncles, and our children who are the grandchildren. It's sad that my days of being the young grandchild are over, but it's also very happy to know that my children are the happy grandchildren, and they will grow to have happy memories of their extended family. They won't know a big tire swing hanging from a huge willow, but they'll know family hikes in the mountains, beach picnics, the San Diego temple, Sea World, music, the internet and phone calls, political and current event discussions, delicious meals, and many other wonderful things as they grow up part of the extended Brown family!