beach day | piperism

Piper and her cousin, Charlotte, have formed a club. You can’t join. I know. I tried.

“What do you do in your secret club?” I asked.

“Tell secrets,” Piper answered.

“Stuff,” Charlotte added.

“Can I join?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s secret,” Piper said.

“It’s only for members,” Charlotte explained.

“Right. I want to become a member,” I said.

Piper and Charlotte consulted. Then they ran off together squealing. Then they came back, holding hands and skipping.

“Do you have any money?” Piper asked.

“Yeah,” Charlotte said, “it costs a lot of money.”

“How much?”

Whispering ensued. “Hundreds of pennies,” Piper said.

“I have that.”

“It’s not enough,” Charlotte assured me. “You can’t afford our club.”

They’re probably right, especially when this is the view from their clubhouse window.

Back by popular demand…Gpa’s guest blogging again:

Piper loves everything. She especially loves the beach.

She loves her cousins. It doesn’t matter which cousins, her Florida or her Missouri, she enjoys being with them all.

The combination of three of her Missouri cousins and the beach was too much to pass up.

It’s about an hour ride from our house on the river to the beach. A long ride for a Piper but she had cousin Jilly to read to her the entire trip. Having someone read to her is another love of Piper’s. A quick, flawless trip.

Cousins, beach, reading, sun….what more could a Piper need?

Just let her go. Keep her in sight at all times, but let her go.

Piper has spirit. Piper cannot be tamed, barely restrained.

Every older person, especially a Gpa, needs to sit, watch, appreciate, and laugh at Piper. I did. The ocean was not my favorite place to be, until today.

Sand castles were built, little cousin P.J. stepped on them all. They ran. They waded. The weather was great, the water was cool, and cousins were there. What a day. What a memory.

I was brave on the trip home; I took the one year old, P.J., Piper, and Jilly for the long trip back.

But, Piper has a unique ability to fall asleep in a truck riding for an hour. It must be contagious, so did her cousins.

As I drove, they rested and recharged. I reflected on the day. Perfect weather, sand, ocean and grandchildren. God has blessed me again.

Arriving home, Piper’s keeper was amazed I had survived and suggested I might be running for Grandpa of the year. It doesn’t matter. I already have my reward.