My husband’s parents are in town. (Hi Larry & Deb!) They live in Minnesota, we live in Oregon. If chewing off their own feet would mean they could see Nora more often, they would do it.
So far this week, they have read books, built towers, petted chickens, listened to every song in Nora’s repetoire, gone to the children’s museum and the swimming pool and snapped hundreds of photos — wearing blissed out expressions the entire time.
The extreme admiration is mutual. Nora keeps running up and grabbing Deb’s legs, then looking up and saying, “I like you, Grandma.” She climbs all over her Papa.
I can almost imagination what they must suffer being so far away from their only grandchild. My beautiful nephew lives very far from me, but it’s not really comparable, because I have Nora to snuggle and tend to — it doesn’t leave much time for longing.
As of this month, both my in-laws are now retired. That will leave a lot of time for longing. Perhaps I should get them a puppy?