CML and Raising Grand Kids is A Lot of Work!

Sometimes I am astounded at how quickly time can pass; a day, a week, a month or a year. In some ways, it seems as though it were only yesterday that I heard those life altering words, “Michele, I am so sorry to have to tell you this, but you have Leukemia.” That was twenty nine months ago and I am still alive and kicking!

The past six months have flown by in a blip and the neglect to my updates is sorely apparent! In January, Joe and I decided to take on the privilege of having our grandson Jack, ten years old, come to live with us, in the mountains, for six months. During this time, we home schooled Jack and tried to explain why it is, that all of the lights that get left on, cost money! He learned to cook, plant a garden, split wood and just how cold snow was, when it went down your pants! He learned that no city lights meant that you could see the Milky Way and that there were more stars in the sky, than you could ever imagine.

He loved bonfires and ‘smores, making snow angels and sledding, and loved being a kid that had the good fortune to “run a-muck”, like we used to do when we were kids. He had friends up here in the mountains and loved exploring acres and acres of un-fenced territory; without the accompaniment of an adult. We visited the Birds of Prey, the War Hawk Museum and the Boise Aquarium. He learned to appreciate the “peace and quiet” and in his words, “The most amazing place on the planet”. He reminded me of the amount of patience and stamina that it requires to raise a child and how bright the world is; through a child’s eyes. I marvel at how all of the mother's, with CML, do all of this every day. My hat's off to you!

It was a time that we are so appreciative and grateful to have had and hope that the memories created, will be with him for a lifetime. I am still finding small traces of his presence and often long to hear his footsteps on the stairs, but we are also glad to be able to have the privilege to once again just be “Nana and Papa”. Being the “parent” requires an entirely different set of skills and responsibilities; it is a parent’s duty to raise a kind, responsible asset to society; it is a grandparents privilege to just plain old Love Them!!

So, now that I am smarter than the average fourth grader and have five extra hours a day to call my own, I shall get back down to business and fill you in on all that I have learned; one step at a time!