Today is my 8-year old Granddaughter’s 8th Birthday!!!!!!!!

Congratulations. Loud Clapping. Hoots, Cries, Screams and Whistles. I Just Did A Back-Flip (on paper of course, but it counts). I did 8 back-flips. Stop, the words are getting tired and I’m winded. Wow and Double Wow. What a day.

We were climbing this mountain. It was about 3 months ago.

My granddaughter stopped, looked up the trail and asked, “Are you sure we want to climb this mountain, Grandpa?”

The rest of the family was far ahead of us. It was all up, with rocks, and it was getting hot. The scenery was beautiful, but the view can only carry you so far.

“Sure, let’s keep going,” I said.

Ten minutes later, I asked “Are you sure we want to climb this mountain?”

My granddaughter picked up a smallish rock, held it over her head and announced, “This rock will lead us to the top. Follow the rock.” With that, she marched off and up with grandpa in tow.

It worked.

We made it to the top!

Everyone was waiting with hugs and pictures and the extra water.

On the way down, my granddaughter stopped, looked me in the eye and asked “Would you like to be best friends?”

Talk about melting a grandpa’s heart. “Sure,” I replied.

“There are some requirements,” she said.

I knew there was a catch. “What are they?” I asked.

“First, what’s your favorite color?”

Not a fair question, even if I stick to the primary colors, that’s three possibities, blue, green and red. I like them all. So I have a 1 in 3 chance. This “best friend’ stuff was hard.

“Green,” I responded. My shirt was green.

“Right, that’s mine too. Good answer.”

Whew.

“Now, and this is important, are you flexible? Best friends have to be flexible.”

Good question. I knew she was smart. Now, I saw she was wise beyond her years. I secretly thanked her grandmothers for that inherited gift to their granddaughter.

“I can be,” I said with a smile, hoping the next requirement wasn’t, Okay, now do a back-flip.

“That’s it. We’re best friends.”

The rest of the way down we talked about things only best friends talk about. Sometimes, words aren’t big enough or there really aren’t words. We walked and talked and didn’t say a thing, because we didn’t need to. It’s that way with best friends.

I learned a lot that day — about myself, about how much I didn’t know and about how much I appreciated my Granddaughter.

Sometimes you have to follow a child with a rock in her hand up a mountain and down again to really see what’s all around you and how lucky you are.

Eight more back-flips!!!!!!!! See, I really am flexible, on paper, but it counts.

Thank you Granddaughter for 8 wonderful years.

Happy Birthday,

I love you,

Grandpa Jim