Children are our future

Harrison, Lelia, Melissa, Elizabeth

My oldest daughter Elizabeth and my son Harrison returned this week from twelve days in South America where they enjoyed winter snowboarding and exploring in Chile. They saved their own money, and planned their own trip, and I tip my hat to the pair. My middle daughter Melissa just left to return home to Salem, Oregon. She had been visiting us in Seattle, taking a break from her empty rental house (roommates will be moving back in several weeks). It's good she has a great grasp of dealing with less than ideal situations. My youngest daughter, Lelia, has been popping in and out all weekend - I think she prefers to be around people other than her parents (go figure). Nineteen going on totally independent.

On the other end of the spectrum, is Gramma Jane. My wife's mom has become a part of our household while waiting for her apartment in a new Senior community to be finished. Her move-in date is the 22nd of August. I know she will only be six or seven minutes away, but I'm beginning to realize how much I'll miss having her here in our home.

Together we watched an eighty's television movie on TNT called The Shadow Knows, which was based on an early radio show. I was trying to figure out the time frame in which the movie was supposed to be set by looking at the cars. When I made the comment to her that it looked like the movie was supposed to be in the late thirtys and early fortys, she said, "No, it wasn't - I know what people wore during the late thirtys, and those clothes are older than that!"

Yep, I have great hope in the future, but somehow I've learned that confidence comes from the past.