Here we are, in the second day of June, parked in Mission BC, enjoying every minute spent with Makai, our first and (for now) only grandchild. It was January when we saw him last and he has gone from a crawling baby to a walking, talking toddler. It is through experiencing a grandchild that we can truly see just how quickly the time goes by and what a powerful impact we, as grandparents, can have on a child’s life.

To this day I value my grandparents a great deal, even though I didn’t see them often in my adolescent years because they lived in England while I and my family lived in Canada. My “Nanny”, my maternal grandmother, died when I was eight so I didn’t know her well but I adored my paternal grandmother, my “Granny”, who I was able to see often. (My paternal Grandpa died shortly after my maternal grandmother.) I want to be there for my grandchildren; I want them to know me and their Grandpa and I want to relish every moment that we spend together.

Before we know it, Makai will be turning 5, then 10, then 20 and I would like to think that his love for us will compare to the love I felt for my Granny, or my Granddad (my maternal grandfather). I want him to have special memories of things he did with us, or things he learned from us or places he visited with us. I want us to leave an imprint on all the grandchildren that we are fortunate to have in our lives so these days with Makai are important to us. We could not love this little fellow more if we tried and we truly feel honoured to be his Granni and Grandpa (or for now, his Buppas), a role that we cherish and will always handle with care.