Kukka by Sally Kilgore: Lately

ROCKWALL, TX – March 30, 2022 — Lately, I find myself skipping over the daily memories that pop up on my social media page.

Sometimes when I do look at the “Memories” I must wipe a small tear, and experience a sense of wistfulness that I am not eager to feel. So many of those memories are of the days when the grandbabies were tiny and growing. The days when those babies belonged to their parents and to us. We made their worlds a happy place. The time we spent with them brought their smiles.

The babies, clearly no longer babies, but are fast growing into kids and soon, a teenager will erupt from one huge hearted, smart as a whip, blonde girl. They are pretty terrific children, bright, eager, brains always working. Activities such as football, Beta Club, theatre, youth group and bazillions of birthday parties fill their weeks and weekends. It is a delight to see them thrive and bloom into good people.

The days of them shrieking and running into my arms when picking them up from day school, or bursting through the front door with laughter and eagerness are changing. There are still big smiles from the boy child, a bit shyer these days and the near teenager must be coaxed, just a bit, for hugs.

Once in the door of our home, they feel their comfort zone and head into “their room”; a boy with a saucy grin who still loves hugs, pulling out toys, looking for the blue iPad to play a favorite game. A pretty pre-teen plops into a recliner with a good book, soon to request bread and jam or cheese, often with sliced apple on the side, berries if we have them. They still prefer Gram slice their cheese, just as I always have.

The babies still ask me to turn on the music when we pile into Flexie. Sometimes the singing along in the car takes just a bit longer to begin these days. Quickly they warm up to familiar tunes and the voices rise, making me smile. Somedays a pre-teen will request silence from her brother, as the bit of older sister aggravation creeps into the closeness of their sister-brother bond.

Today they have full lives and are pulling just a bit away from the enchantment with Granddad and Grammy’s house. Still, it always remains a familiar, warm spot for them to hang, have a snack, read a book. They have their own thoughts, their own paths to follow, their own journeys to take. I cherish the conversations with them now, when they give me a peek into their worlds.

I hope that once they are grown, the journeys bring them back down the path to Gram’s house frequently. I treasure every moment of their presence, and every word.

I’ll stop avoiding those memories on Facebook that I once posted so frequently. I’ll open them, look at funny and happy posts and photos, and be filled, remembering the fun times we spent together in their very young years. Then, feeling thankful, for the good people they are becoming.

By Sally Kilgore of Rockwall. Sally is a former resident of Rowlett, and a recent transplant, across the lake, to Fate, Texas. She is married to her long time flame, Chris Kilgore. When not writing, gardening, filling in at the local flower shop or hanging out with grandkids, Sally devotes her time to serving Bob Kilgore, a generously sized, Tuxedo cat with panache.