In this age of digital cameras, the times when we are taking pictures are more frequent. Whether with a fancy digital camera, a simple one, or our cell phones.....the opportunities are limitless. As my son says, the best camera is the one you have with you when you need to take pictures.
This morning, I am thinking of an image that was burned in my brain a decade ago. I am not surprised that I thought about it, either. I went to sleep last night listening to my two boys giggling. They were playing games on the Wii and having a good time.
Even though the family room is at the other end of the house, I could still hear them. It made me happy to have laughter in the house. And kids. There is something about a houseful of kids that makes me smile.
Sometimes, it's harder to smile: a lamp in the family room took a dive last night, the victim of an overzealous golf swing. Or tennis racket swing. Or something with a swing to it. The bulb was broken and the metal piece that holds the lamp harp was bent. But it's fixed now. And the tennis star got to vacuum up the lightbulb bits....
So, this morning, after playing Wii for several hours late last night, the boys are still in bed. As promised, I am letting them sleep in but I am not being particularly quiet. If what I am doing wakes them up, so be it.
I am smiling now, as I think about the image in my head. First, you have to realize that both these boys are taller than I am now. And I am pretty tall. Both of them are turning into handsome young men with lower voices and muscular frames.
But they weren't always that way. Baby pudge has given away to lean, athletic bodies, that's true. But they will always be grandma's babies. That's very true, too.
And the image in my head? It was more than ten years ago, when they were much younger. I can still see them, as if it happened yesterday. The older boy, Dylan, standing in the front bathroom, wearing only his tighty whiteys, combing his younger cousin's hair. Aidan was also wearing nothing but tighty whiteys, and standing perfectly still so his cousin could groom him.
There was just something enchanting about the whole thing. Two little guys, freshly showered and clean after a day's activities, taking care of each other. In their own way. Helping each other, being there for each other. Doing something simple like combing the other's hair.
Not only is the image in my head a sweet one, it is typical of those two. The older one has finished high school and started college. The younger one is just about to start high school. Even with that age difference, which won't matter at all in a few years, they are close. They value each other. They have shared history. They are cousins....
And Grandma loves them dearly.
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