Grandparent's Night

I love my grandparents.

 It’s true.

 And I’m not just saying that because my grandmothers read my blog. 

Even at the ripe old age of "closer-to-40-than-30", I am pretty privileged to have 3 grandparents still with me. I love all of them, and carry with me a profound amount of admiration and respect for who they are and what their lives have been. But this particular post is about my mom’s parents; my Grandma and Grandpa Downs.

So I decided a few weeks ago to call and ask my grandparents if we could share a Monday night meal with them. I wanted to take them out. Happily, when I called, my Grandma said yes. Then she offered to take care of a little lesson for Family Home Evening.

We met them at Golden Corral about 5 in the evening. It was perfect. There weren't too many people and we got to sit in a room all by ourselves so my grandpa could enjoy less noise pollution.

There was one funny thing that happened at the restaurant; we were standing in the buffet line, glancing over the offerings when Paul asks me “Where’s the steak?” I respond (typically) “I don’t know. You should ask. What do I look like, your mother?” Paul retorts, “Yeah. Unfortunately.” At this point, a strange woman standing next to me chimes in unexpectedly. “Wow. I’d make him sleep on the couch for that one!” I smile and reply, “Well, maybe. Except he really IS my son.” She pauses,processing for a moment,  and then stammers, “Oh, I thought he was your…you look really young.”

Ummm...yeah. That’s not awkward.

Anyway, we enjoyed the meal and the company immensely. The kids thought I was awesome since it was all you could eat, and everyone was happy because they got exactly what they wanted and plenty of it.

My favorite part though was when my grandpa (who rarely says anything anymore…he mostly just watches things happen and tells people to be quiet) catches my eyes and said “You have a beautiful family Chiara. All of you. You’re just wonderful.”

Best. Compliment. Ever.

We finished up and headed out the door to head back at my grandparent’s home. We gathered in the family room and my grandma presented a wonderful and thoughtful lesson on service. She even prepared little hands with situations typed out on them where an example was given on how people could serve one another. Each child had one to read. We closed with a few songs. For anyone who doesn't know, my grandparents are trained singers. Singing with them is an awesome experience.  And then we said goodbye.  I watched my grandparents tenderly embrace and kiss each of my children, and the “I love you” they genuinely lavished on each one felt almost like a blessing. The warm fuzzies I had been experiencing all night turned into a teary mist as I also kissed and hugged my grandparents and returned the blessing.

Seriously, a night I’m not sure I could have made more amazing if I had tried to.