“Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining.” – 1 John 2:7-8

Moving on through writing my memoir, I have spent the last couple of days back in April of 2014, that crazy time when I flew to Connecticut to spend two weeks taking care of our first two grandchildren, David and Beks.

Looking back the experience still feels surreal. What happened is that Rebekah and I encouraged Naomi and Craig to visit Andrew (her brother) and Alicia in Northern Italy.

“Don’t worry about the children,” we said, “we will take care of them.”

Then one thing led to another, Rebekah got caught up in some overlapping commitments, and it was me – Granddaddy Derek – flying to Connecticut to be “Grandparent in Residence” at the Campbell home in Moodus.

In April 2014 David and Beks, by the way, are just 29-months and nine months old respectively.

But Oh My Goodness did I have an amazing and wonderful twelve days.

In the memoir I write about this as a formational experience for me as a grandparent. I knew – I still know – guys who are uncomfortable when they are left with just one infant child for more than a couple of minutes, and who would completely unravel if expected to change a diaper.

So today I’d like to share two small passages from my writing. I believe they have something to say to us today.

1: Problem solvers

Pretty much every toy we play with is non-electronic. And it’s not me steering the kids that way, David automatically goes for the wooden blocks, the wooden train set, the wooden puzzles, the heavy plastic animals, and the books as first choice. Beks sits around watching, giggling at her brother, and trying to grab whatever he has.

But my favorite is the set of six puzzles printed on a set of wooden cubes. David dumps them out, picks out one of the pictures, completes the 16-piece puzzle by choosing from multiple possibilities, then mixes them up again and starts over for the next one.

We also read story books in the rocking chair before bedtime. Two books of his choice plus one story from the kids’ Bible.

I find myself thinking that if this world needs anything over the next few decades, it’s going to be future leaders who grow up A) learning to solve problems, B) using their imaginations and C) trusting in God.

We have two prime candidates right here in this house. Let’s pray for many more.

2: Poignancy and tears

The parents have been gone three days and now, finally, I get to deal with heartfelt “I miss my mommy and daddy” tears from David. He must have been dreaming about them during nap time, because when I wake him up he sees me and looks disappointed. A couple of big tears squeeze from the corners of his eyes and he clings on to my leg, burying his face in my side – then the floodgates open up for real.

David doesn’t yell, or have a tantrum, or lose control, he is just sad – and I can tell without a doubt that he misses his parents.

Writing this now, suddenly I miss my parents too. Yes, I may be sixty-nine years old but once in a while I will see a photograph and I feel the longing drip into my consciousness.

We never stop being the children of our parents. And we never stop being parents to our own children – no matter how life changes and how hard it can be sometimes and how difficult it is to watch from afar.

This is why it is so good to have grandchildren.

If this memoir is going anywhere as a unified piece of writing, it is going to the place where we understand that what it is that connects everything, and what makes sense of life – all the generations represented, from my grandparents to our grandchildren – is the single thread of faithful love.

What connects everything, and what makes sense of life, is the single thread of faithful love…

Without it, without the strand of pure love that essentially holds the universe together, we are undoubtedly lost.

In love and because of love – DEREK