I remember how happy my father-in-law, Lou, was when David was born. He had a houseful of females and was over the moon when his grandson was born. He wasn’t the jump up in the air kind of guy, but he and Ruth’s mom stopped into our Kalamazoo home every weekend after David was born. They were always “just in the area so we thought we’d stop in for a few minutes” kind of visits. They were seldom alone. They came after a Saturday evening meal or after church on their way to dinner. The entourage included anywhere from four to eight people. They passed David from shoulder to shoulder and were awestruck by the newbie.
We’d been married for four years before David was born and they never visited. Not once. David was the draw.
Decades later, Ruth and I did the same when Brady was born. Most of the time we’d call ahead because we knew “just in the area” visits could be over whelming. We were never denied access and always welcome. They lived twenty minutes from our Lake LeAnn home, so we stopped over frequently.
Ruth picked Brady up from pre-school and took him to Menards to explore the various storage buildings on display. They’d play hide and seek but “no running in the store”. Eva joined from time to time, but being two years younger curtailed her opportunities.
We’d take the two on searches for the best ice cream cone or pizza, visit the local parks and playgrounds, play miniature golf, read books, and make magic potions in our kitchen. Ruth took them to scores of garage sales seeking the next great treasure. We drove them hundreds of miles in the process. It was a grand way to learn about the two.
As they got older the play time diminished but our enthusiastic support of who they were, and what they hoped to become, never faltered. We liked being with them and enjoyed watching them grow into their teen years. As we aged, we did more watching and our physical participation diminished.
Our newest grandson, Jackson James, was born fifteen years after Brady. Ruth and I visited him for the first time when he was ten days old. Like Brady and Eva, we loved him before he was born. Holding him just increased the bond.
We made a point of visiting him in California, but Covid curtailed our travel a bit. We didn’t make all the trips we hoped we’d take but did our best to head west on a regular basis. Ruth made a solo visit in June and announced we’d be heading west more regularly. “Jackson is changing so fast, we need to see him more often.
We saw them in September linking it with a trip to Vegas to celebrate our fifty-first wedding anniversary. We planned to connect over the Thanksgiving weekend, but Ruth had passed by then and I traveled solo.
Our next planned trip to visit the California trio was set for last weekend. I ended up making the trip alone, not by choice, but rather how life has played out for us Tebos. Jackson and I got along wonderfully. He played with his train, rode the bike we’d given him last winter, and made Play-Doh creations with his mom and Aunt BZ. He and I painted and read books together.
Like all Tebo children, he’s very bright and has an extensive vocabulary for one so young. He’s becoming another unique individual in a long line of special people.
Michael caught this picture of Jackson and me having a conversation about painting. We were discussing colors and how best to capture the light on the seascape he was creating. He’s a generous young lad and was happy to have me join in the fun.
Distance makes seeing young Jackson a bit of a challenge, but I’ll continue my trips west to connect with him every couple of months. In the interim, we’ll be able to keep in touch via Facetime and I’m grateful for that.
Like Ruth, I love Brady, Eva and Jackson to the moon and back.