Happy Grandparents Day. I wanted to write down some of the things I feel about you, because you deserve to hear them.
When I think of you, I hear whistling first. You are always doing it, and somehow it makes any room feel calmer and happier. It tells me you are near, and when you are near, I feel safe.
I love how playful you are. Your card tricks still make me squint and wonder how you did it, and I love that you never give away the secret. I love your stories too. You tell them in a way that makes me lean in close, like we are sharing something just between us. Underneath all the fun, you are wise. You have a quiet way of saying just the right thing at just the right time.
I am so proud of you for building the treehouse in your backyard. It is more than boards and nails. It is a place to climb up into, to look out over the trees, and to feel tucked away and held. That is exactly what you do for all of us. I can picture you up there with your binoculars, watching for birds, patient and happy.
Our family has so many warm memories of summers at your cabin by the lake. The water, the long evenings, the stories, the feeling that nothing could go wrong while we were there with you. Those summers feel like a soft blanket I can wrap around myself whenever I need it. Thank you for giving us that place and for making it feel like home.
On this Grandparents Day, I want you to know how much you are loved. You are cherished for the way you laugh, the way you listen, and the way you make everyone around you feel like they belong.
No matter how far apart we are or how much time goes by, my love for you will always be here, steady and unconditional, just like yours has always been for me.