I am blessed I was there.  I looked into a face every grandfather needs to see.

She looked at me and beamed.  Just beamed.  She looked at her Grandmother and beamed again.  You could feel her happy energy from three feet away.

I bought her some popcorn.

And, that was before the show even started.

I have to admit, I’m one of THOSE Grandpaws.   I want to spend every waking moment I can with my grandchildren.  I want to teach them to how to laugh.  I want them to know their  Grandpaw.

I will talk about my grandchildren, if you give me the slightest chance.

So.

Piper was here for the weekend.  She turns four in July.  She’s a delight.  Loves to dress up in Princess gowns.  Has an imagination that’s unbelievable.  She’s at that point where she invents her own world.

We bought her  a  purple satin princess dress.  Just because that’s who she is.  That’s what she wore.  Also a string of pearls, because she’s beautiful.

We headed to the Little Theatre to watch a play.  A Dr. Suess play.  Perfect for little kids.  Lots of bright colors, lots of bright costumes, dancing, and singing. No stodgy old parents to get in the way.

She sat there like a little champion.  She knew it was special.

We watched the first half.  She was mesmerized by the performance.  At intermission, she didn’t want it to stop.

She sat through the second half.  Ate her popcorn.  Drink her bottle of water.  Ate some candy that her Mom and Dad don’t know about.

They filled the theatre with simple soap bubbles.  They were floating down, sparkling with the stage lights.  Let me tell you, little kids love soap bubbles more than cotton candy. In a dark room, with bright lights, they sparkle.  And, the kids beam.

It was better than sneaking her donuts when her parents aren’t looking.  Or buying her cotton candy.   Better than picking fresh blue berries and eating them right off the bush.

I think she grew another two inches between 7:30 and 9:30.

At the end, she grabbed my hand.   “Let’s go!” she said.

At the end of the aisle, she turned towards the stage. Pulling me into the crowd.  The actors were there.  Suddenly, Piper was in their midst.

She wanted to talk to The Cat in the Hat.  She was a bit shy with Horton the Elephant.  She liked the Monkeys.  She was standing next to the actors.  She hugged them.  They hugged her.

She was standing on top of a new world.  I held her hand.  She squeezed mine tight.

The world moves too fast.  I had spent the day in another place, learning just how dangerous our world is.  Talking about how much evil there is, even in our little town in Mississippi.  I was hearing things I didn’t know I needed to hear.

But, Saturday night, I was blessed and thankful I could be there with her.

 

Please feel free to share.  I welcome your comments and thoughts.  Contact Mike Windham at amwindham100@gmail.com.  You can follow my blog at mikewindham.com.