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Monday, June 17, 2013

Remember the Village that Raises the Children?

It's Gramma's house! Today we enjoyed the company of seven little girls from two families. Five belong to our oldest daughter from Pennsylvania and range in age from 18 down to five. They are staying with us for the week while their parents enjoy a holiday. The other two, almost five and almost two, belong to our youngest daughter who lives locally. What a great time all these happy little sisters and cousins had today. We took the five to Mass then came home and weeded in the garden for half an hour, got good and hot, then changed into swim suits for a leisurely day in the pool. Cousins arrived in time for lunch and joined the fun. When all the girls had finally had enough swimming they moved on to the dress up box and the art supplies. And then it was time to help set the table for dinner, eat, and clean up. Everyone worked and everyone played, just the way families should be.

As I blog, the girls are donning pj's for a pajama party with a movie and popcorn. The only one not staying is the baby who's not quite ready for a sleepover even with her big sister. And, of course, there will be stories read by "Paka" and evening prayers by candlelight.

I call this a good summer day and we have lots of plans for the rest of the week as we celebrate the joys of grandchildren: the potato chip factory, hiking, wading in a feeder stream of the Shenandoah River, thrift store shopping, and, of course, morning Mass. This week of family fun is why we settled at "Camp Kreitzer" instead of buying a retirement cottage, and we are never happier than when it is filled up and bustling with musical little voices. If you could hear our "Chirpita" and her sisters describing all the fun of their day, you would understand exactly what I'm talking about.

How can anyone ever think there can be too many little ones? No wonder Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Do not hinder them. The kingdom of God belongs to such as these." We had a foretaste of His kingdom today and it filled our hearts with joy!
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5 comments:

  1. Ray SchneiderJune 17, 2013 at 9:13 PM

    Looks like Popsicle heaven!

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  2. KathyJune 18, 2013 at 8:46 PM

    What a blessing for your children and grandchildren. My own parents died several years ago and my husband and I have been entirely on our own raising our eight children. No rest,no help. Now my older children are the ones stepping in to give me a little break now and then. My wonderful teenagers are a tremendous gift to me and my husband. You and your husband are an inspiration!

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  3. Mary Ann KreitzerJune 18, 2013 at 10:35 PM

    I did not have the blessing of grandparents growing up and I decided when I became a gramma I wanted the kids to be begging to come to our house. We love to see them and they love to see us! We truly are blessed.

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  4. JanieJune 19, 2013 at 10:48 PM

    I always thought my parents would be hands-on, eager grandparents as they were very much involved parents for me and my siblings. But when my youngest sister graduated from high school, with no warning, they sold their house and moved to a 1 bedroom condo in Arizona. Their closest child is about 800 miles from them. They see their grandchildren about twice a year when they make the rounds visiting. And they always stay in a hotel! We are all completely baffled and frankly hurt. I hope your kids appreciate Camp Grandma.

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  5. Mary Ann KreitzerJune 20, 2013 at 9:58 AM

    Your parents are missing out on some of the most fun in life. We're working on a sewing project this morning making squares with applique flowers that I'll put together in a little wall quilt for their mom's birthday which is next week. One of the girls got the sewing bug and has made four squares: one for mom and three for herself. LOL!

    ReplyDelete