“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.” Deuteronomy 4:9

We were invited to my daughter’s house for pizza and to spend some time together with her family. Standing at the font door after knocking, I could hear my grandson holler with excitement… “They’re HERE!” It was going to be a good night!

To me…being a grandparent is pretty cool. It doesn’t require a lot and MOSTLY consists of simply BEING there. When we arrived, it was like we were SUPERHEROES! And we hadn’t even done anything yet! Soon the kids were riding their scooters and running around yelling…”Hey Papa… watch this!” It’s a simple yet honorable gig!

When we were mom and dad, it was our responsibility to teach EVERYTHING to our kids. We took the job seriously and I am proud to say that all our kids turned out BEYOND WONDERFUL! Now, we watch, applaud and encourage our kids and grandkids and occasionally get to teach them a thing or 2.

I don’t know how it started, but there was a stuffed animal that ended up becoming a ball. Somehow a game developed where the goal became seeing how many times my grandson could ‘catch’ the thing… in a row! Without even realizing or planning, old words became new again as I heard myself saying, “keep your hands apart, feet steady, eyes on the…’thingy,’ and grab with both hands!”

The game was not planned and “stuffed animal catching” will NEVER become an Olympic sport. But judging by the laughter, concentration level and joyful effort as we counted our way to ‘victory,’ the exercise was NOT wasted. It reminded me of today’s Bible verse and the advice our Heavenly Father gave us WAY back when.

‘Be Careful…Watch closely…Don’t forget…Try again!” are words that NEVER go out of style. Today my wife went back to school to teach a WHOLE new batch of little kids just waiting and ready to learn some VERY important lessons on how to grow up. Because some things never get old!

Oh.. and the answer to the question is 10!