A Grand Promise: The Grand Finale!

“Sunday, Monday, Happy Days! Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days!” Many of you will remember this song from the Happy Days TV show years ago. Somehow it has been chosen as our homecoming song from trips I’ve taken with my grandkids. We get to the end of their driveway, open all the windows and turn on that song with the volume up as high as we can get it! All 600 feet of their driveway, we sing at the top of our lungs and are glad to be home!

That’s how we ended our recent trip to the Grand Canyon, too. We were certainly all happy to be home and out of that 23-foot box called an RV. So what kind of trip did we have? What memories will those grands and their grandma cherish in the years to come?

I hope that they remember God’s amazing creation on display throughout our trip. Also, they will recall that five people CAN survive a two-week trip cramped in a camper! And then the biggest part is that they will always know their grandma loves them with all her heart.

Before we left, numerous people said to me, “Wow, you’re brave to do that!” or “I don’t think I could do that!” To all of them I reply, “Why not?” Isn’t it our privilege to be grandparents and to have good relationships with our kids and grands? Isn’t it amazing to think that God has allowed us to live long enough to enjoy watching them grow up and become amazing men and women?

Never knowing how much time we have here on this earth I take it as a gift from God to be physically able to take a trip like this one. I cherish the times each one took turns sitting next to me in the front seat and I was able to listen to them talk about their friends, their relationship with God, and their future. Those times are few and far between when their busy school schedules begin again in the fall.

I know God planned our memorable Wild West trip and I am so very grateful to Him! I am praying, even now, for more times with my other grands to create Grand memories!

The End!

A Grand Promise: Part 3

After working in children’s ministry for more than 38 years and directing a children’s nonprofit for 11 years, you’d think I’d be aware of contemporary children’s culture and what meets their needs. But during my trip out west with my grandchildren, I threw everything I thought about today’s kids out of my RV window.

Knowing we would pass through some amazing national parks, I envisioned the kids’ awe of God’s beautiful creation. But I didn’t expect how hard it would be to even get them look.

In an earlier post I wrote about my oldest grandson who spent most of his time at the dining room table. What I didn’t say was that he was connected to his iPod every day, all day long. In fact, each child had some electronic device they were attached to from morning to night. Whenever I wanted their attention for a roadside attraction I had to shout, “Hey you guys! Look at this!”

By the fourth day I was hoarse.

Never have I been so impacted by how an electronic device can capture a child’s attention. It didn’t matter if they are watching movies, playing video games, or like my oldest grandson, watching a TV series from long ago that had more than 80 hours of episodes! The amount of time they spent looking down (at their devise) instead of looking out the window astounded me.

We spent a lot of time on the road each day driving from one destination to the next. Some of the scenery was less than interesting. During these drives I tried to remember what I used to do on long road trips as a child. I remember that I couldn’t read books because I got car sick. I usually didn’t bring toys because there just wasn’t room with two sisters and my parents. I remember looking out the window a lot; this helped me learn my way around town, which came in handy when it was time to get my driver’s license. But this was different.

Capturing a child’s attention is not as simple as it was even just a few years ago. Their little hand-held devices draw them in like a magnet and it holds them there—captive. How do parents and teachers compete with this? How was I supposed to compete and draw them away?

Well, I didn’t have to wait long to find the answer to that question?

On the fourth day we headed into Estes National Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. Seeing mountains for the first time became an ethereal experience for my grandkids. The magnificent scenery lured their eyes up to the heavens instead of down into their devices. We stopped at every turn in the road to take more pictures. They even complained that their phones didn’t have enough memory to hold all their photos! No, I didn’t have to worry about where their attention was, that day it was captured by God’s amazing creation. It was refreshing to hear their comments about this first-in-their-life experience. I took pictures of their expressions so I wouldn’t forget.

Eventually, the exquisite vistas lost their appeal and they would be drawn back to their electronic devices. Every day I would have to say, “It’s time to put away your electronics for an hour and look out the windows.” They all complied willingly. I was so thankful for God’s artistic hand and all the beauty he created for us to enjoy. Thank you to the master attention-getter!

A Grand Promise: Part 2

On the third day of our Wild West Adventure, I noticed a pattern. After we had left the campground, the crew took their places. Everyone knew that my granddaughter was the navigator and always rode in the front passenger seat. She was also prone to car sickness, so if she felt better sitting in the front, that worked for us!

The oldest grandson mostly rode at the table in the center of the RV. He had a purpose for that which I’ll talk about later.

The youngest boy always moved around to different seats, which was pretty normal for a 10-year-old. And the 17-year-old mostly chilled out on my bed in the back. This is how we started our journey every day.

Taking off down the road was a hilarious occasion. After we slowly careened the motor home through the campground, we entered the busy roads leading us to our next destination. During the first mile the refrigerator was usually the first thing to pop open because nobody ever remembered to make sure it double clicked when they closed it. The milk, fruit, yogurt, water bottles and lunch meat for sandwiches all flew out the door and landed on the floor.

Next, the cupboard doors that had not been completely shut flapped open, scattering t-shirts, headphones, and underwear all over the place. This happened every single day! I’d long forgotten how kids do not remember to shut anything.

The worst was the bathroom door. If someone was in there when we took off, well…let’s just say everyone had a funny story about that experience!

To say we looked like a traveling clown show for the first few miles down the road would be an understatement!

(Stay tuned for more stories from the Wild West!)