Little people. And toy boats. On the ledge of our bathroom’s whirlpool tub. Does this scene bring a tear to your eye? Likely not. I mean, usually I stay calm and tear free when I see them….unless I’m fixing to clean that tub. Then growls, tears, sighs all indicate my distaste for cleaning.

But my tears happen for reasons other than cleaning.

As you might suspect, these toy boats are an indication that grandchildren have spent time in our whirlpool tub. As you might not know, these toys are 18+ years old. They have been played with by all four of our grandchildren. The youngest is fixing to celebrate birthday number 7 in a few days. Is it time to retire the bath toys? Not quite yet.

The toy boats have magnets. The grandchildren also have magnets! Yes. Magnets that hold them very tightly to this grandma’s heart strings. Super strong magnets that won’t let go.

Grandson #1 is approaching 19 years of age. He has graduated from high school and is enrolled in a welding school out of state. He leaves…..today. I’ve tried really hard to just smile and be happy and not think about this too much. His mom and I have talked, but we avoid long eye contact because…. Tears. They’re right on the edge of my lower eye lid, threatening to flood down to my toes. And I’m pretty sure it’s the same for her.

So when I moved these toys to clean the tub last week, my emotions were a hot mess. There were tears. I held the toys and memories flooded my mind.

And then as I pondered and prayed for that boy, reality kind of set in.

The year was 1972. The month was December. I was 17, a senior in high school and my father passed away on the 19th of that month. A few months later I graduated from high school. And then in August after graduation, on my 18th birthday, I left for Radiology Tech school. My sister drove me. My mom stood in the door of the house and watched me leave while waving goodbye. Tears? No doubt. I knew absolutely no one who would be in my training class, did not know my room mate, teachers, no one. My heart was magnetically attached to the woman in the door of my home and I’m pretty sure it was a two way magnetic pull. We both had broken hearts from losing Dad.

How’d that whole leaving home, school, grown-up life go, you might ask? My answer? It went well. Not because I was so strong and outgoing and brilliant. Oh so far from it. My strength, my source of comfort and guidance, can be found in this blog post: https://simplyb.blog/2021/12/25/the-year-that-changed-christmas-forever/. Maybe you’ve read it. In came Jesus.

My grandson will be just fine. Jesus’ love is stronger than any magnet and he can be trusted completely.

And now, I’m going to open another box of Kleenex.

Also…..you might need Kleenex to read the following post, too. But not from crying…. Enjoy a laugh. https://simplyb.blog/2018/03/23/liquids-and-solids-undoubtedly-gas-too-adventures-in-grandparenting-chapter-2/