It was worth every penny of the hundreds of dollar we spent on gas. (Ridiculous, isn’t it?)
None of which my mom would let me pay for, because that’s what mothers do.

We also had to miss my father in law’s birthday party (Happy Birthday!) but he was cool with that and the Big Guy still went.

We’re back safely from Timbuktu, Saskatchewan where we visited with a bunch of family, including my grandma. The drive was painful and Primo slept like crap there, but it was still totally worth it.

To give you a little bit of background, my grandma will be 98 this December and has been failing for a while. When my mom’s sisters saw her last month they were shocked at her state. She sleeps most of the time, here eyes don’t open all the way and she didn’t even acknowledge the dogs that came to visit. Animals and children are her favourite things in the world, so that was not a good sign. She doesn’t sit up but leans slumped over or lies down all day. When we phone her, there’s often no response at all and we just hope she’s getting some enjoyment from listening to us talk. In person, she usually doesn’t recognize or even acknowledge her visitors. When she is able to use her voice it’s extremely quiet and shaky and she has trouble getting sounds to come out.

When I walked into her care home with my kids, I saw her slumped over in her recliner in the corner of the room and was prepared for the worst.

I stopped to show Bella off to a couple of ladies on the way who were a little more “with it,” perhaps unconsciously delaying what I assumed would be the reality of my Grandma not recognizing me or acknowledging my children.

The caregiver on duty approached Grandma’s chair to put down the footrest and sit her up as much as possible. She told her “Edith, you have some visitors here to see you,” and Grandma, as was expected, didn’t seem to know. Or she may have said “Oh.” I can’t remember.

What I do remember is the look on her face when I said “Hi Grandma! This is my baby Bella. She’s named after you. Her name is XX just like your middle name.” Grandma looked at me with what I like to think was instant recognition and a smile. She looked at Bella with an ever bigger smile and said “She’s cute!” Then Primo ran over with his sometimes annoying squeaky shoes and her face lit up even brighter than I thought possible.

This is my Grandma.
Doesn’t she look happy and beautiful?
She’s amazing.

She held on to Bella’s hands and played with her adorable baby feet.
The entire time we were there she was alert and happy.
All because of my children.
How awesome is that?

Primo is an incredibly energetic, crazy-in-a-good-way, rough and tumble,
never-sits-still little boy.
At Grandma’s house he did do some running,
but only out in the back yard with my mom.
It was instinctual, I think. He knew that these ladies were fragile and required a gentle touch and slow movement.
He leaned on my grandma’s legs and stared at her, gave her a hug and kiss and was absolutely the most wonderful little boy ever.
We were so proud of him!
As you can see, Grandma even leaned in to him when he was trying to kiss her and couldn’t reach.
It was breathtaking, and I can’t believe I was lucky enough to catch it on camera.

Here we all are…four generations of love.

And, just because it’s cute, I had to share this image of my mom and Bella.
She was kissing her on the cheek and making her giggle.
Bella started to anticipate it and lean in for the kisses.
Pure awesome.

If you ever wonder whether you should take your kids on a long trip to visit an aging relative, stop wondering and just go. It’s incredibly worth it.