December 26, 2008

It was the day after Christmas, and Edward Morrison had no intention of getting out of bed any time soon. It was only nine o'clock, and although he was technically awake, his legs were too sore to move. He reached for the political thriller that he had borrowed from the library and cracked it open, but by the time he finished the first paragraph, his wife Lorraine walked into the room.

"Edward, Phil wants to visit today," Lorraine said. Despite the wrinkles that now covered her face, Lorraine was still the most beautiful woman in the world, at least if you asked Edward. Her deep brown skin and slightly crooked smile were still gorgeous, and every day, Edward thanked God that he had such a wonderful woman in his life.

"Didn't Phil come over last night?" Edward said.

"Yes, but he wants to see us again," Lorraine said. "He's bringing Audrey, Sylvie, and Everett as well."

Edward couldn't help but smile as he thought of his grandchildren. They were among the few things that could make him happy these days. "When are they coming?" Edward asked.

"They'll be here for breakfast in half an hour," Lorraine said. "You'll need to get out of bed, Edward."

Edward groaned and stumbled out of bed, using the bedpost to help him balance. His legs had been a problem that had plagued him since childhood, but his impending old age had only made things worse. Lorraine quickly handed Edward his cane, and he got ready to see his grandchildren.

Just as Edward finished brushing his teeth, the doorbell rang. He put his toothbrush away and hobbled towards the door, but Lorraine had already opened the door and let their guests in. Of course, it was Edward's son Phil, his daughter-in-law Audrey, and their children, Sylvie and Everett. "Hi Dad!" Phil exclaimed as he smiled and hugged Edward.

"Hello, Phil," Edward replied. "How are you?"

"I'm doing very well," Phil said. "Mom said that she was making pancakes. Is that right?"

"I'm right here, and yes, I'm making pancakes," Lorraine said. "They'll be done in about fifteen minutes."

"Grandma! Grandpa!" Everett exclaimed. "Can I play with trains?"

"Of course," Edward said, immediately knowing that Everett was referring to the train set that Edward and Lorraine kept for when the grandchildren were visiting.

"I want to play with the trains too," Sylvie said. "Will you play with us, Grandma and Grandpa?"

"I'm cooking, Sylvie," Lorraine said. "Do you want your pancakes?"

"Yes!" Sylvie exclaimed.

"Then just be patient," Lorraine said.

"I'll play with you," Edward said. He headed into the living room, and Sylvie and Everett followed him. He took the train set off of a shelf, and started to set it up.

"No!" Everett exclaimed. "Not like that!" He immediately started to rearrange the pieces, and although Everett's train tracks made little sense to Edward, he appreciated the four year old's creativity.

Sylvie had taken a few pieces for herself, and she was making her own track with them. However, the siblings soon started arguing over who could use which pieces. "Sylvie has too many trains!" Everett whined. "I need more trains!"

"Sylvie, could you give Everett a few of your trains?" Edward asked. "He only has one."

"No!" Sylvie exclaimed. "These are my trains!"

Everett promptly started to try, and although Edward did his best to comfort his grandson, Audrey and Phil had to step in. "What's going on in here?" Phil asked.

"Sylvie won't give me my trains!" Everett shouted in between sobs.

"They're not your trains," Phil said. "They're Grandma and Grandpa's trains." Admittedly, he had a point, but his words did nothing to comfort Everett.

Audrey gave Everett a hug, and once he calmed down, she said, "Sylvie, please be nice to your brother. Could you please give him one train?"

"Fine," Sylvie said, and she passed a train to Everett, who started to race it along the track that he had built.

"Sylvie, why don't you sell some cookies to Grandpa?" Audrey suggested.

"You're selling cookies?" Edward said as he ran a hand through his thinning gray hair.

"Yes!" Sylvie exclaimed. "Mommy, where's the cookie form?"

Audrey took the Girl Scout cookie order form out of her purse and passed it to Edward. He then perused the various cookies for sale. "Lorraine, what kind of Girl Scout cookies should we get this year?" Edward asked.

"Is it really Girl Scout cookie season already?" Lorraine said from the kitchen.

"We're allowed to sell early to family members," Audrey said.

"I forgot that Sylvie was selling cookies this year!" Lorraine said. "Sylvie, what's your favorite kind of Girl Scout cookie?"

Sylvie paused for a few seconds and then said, "Thanks-A-Lots!"

"I like Thanks-A-Lots too," Lorraine said. "Edward, why don't we get three boxes of Thin Mints, two boxes of Peanut Butter Patties, two boxes of Caramel deLites, and one box of Thanks-A-Lots."

Edward thought that his wife had perhaps gone overboard on the Girl Scout cookies, but he didn't question it. His granddaughter was selling them, after all. He filled out the order form and then handed it back to Sylvie. "What do you say to Grandpa?" Audrey said.

"Thank you!" Sylvie exclaimed.

"You're very welcome, Sylvie," Edward said, smiling.

"Breakfast is ready!" Lorraine shouted from the kitchen, and the whole family rushed into the dining room, where Lorraine served them pancakes and fresh fruit. Edward quickly devoured his breakfast, enjoying his wife's incredible cooking.

During breakfast, Phil said, "The ice on the lake has gotten pretty thick lately - we might be able to go skating today."

"I don't know about that," Edward said. His balance wasn't great normally - how would he fare skating on the lake? When they had gone skating the previous year, he had nearly fallen into the lake. He couldn't help but be a little bit nervous about Phil's idea.

"Come on, Dad," Phil said. "It would be fun. Audrey, Sylvie, Everett, and I have our ice skates in the car just in case."

"Phil's right," Lorraine said as she poured maple syrup over her pancakes. "We would all have a good time."

"Fine," Edward mumbled reluctantly, fully expecting to regret his decision. Sylvie and Everett cheered, and Edward finished his breakfast as quickly as he could while Phil and Audrey went on and on about how well Sylvie was doing in kindergarten and how many friends Everett had made in preschool. Lorraine, in return, told them a few stories from Edward's retirement party. He had enjoyed a long and successful career in finance, but Edward was looking forward to all of the free time that he would have going forward.

After breakfast, Edward dug his ice skates out of the garage and carried them out to the lake. He hadn't used them in a year, but they still seemed like they were in good condition. By the time he got to the lake, the kids were already skating. Everett held his mother's hand while Sylvie skated in circles around them. Phil was holding a camera and taking pictures of his wife and children. Edward sat down in the snow and laced up his skates, and Lorraine did the same. When both of them were ready, they joined the rest of the family on the ice.

Sylvie smiled as soon as she saw Edward and Lorraine skating. "Grandma and Grandpa are here!" she exclaimed. Everett cheered, making Edward chuckle.

At first, Edward enjoyed himself. It was cold outside, but Edward didn't mind when he had his family by his side. He didn't stray too far from shore, unlike his grandchildren. Sylvie and Everett both tried to skate towards the center of Clearwater Lake, and their parents chased them, making Edward laugh. Phil had tried the exact same trick as a boy.

An hour went by, and Edward was starting to get tired again. However, Everett and Sylvie didn't seem to be running out of energy. They raced each other and played whatever games they could think of, and Edward loved watching them. It was moments like this one that made him proud to be a grandfather.

All of a sudden, Edward lost his balance and tumbled down. His face landed on the ice, and he groaned as he tried to get himself up again. "Edward, are you okay?" Lorraine asked as she skated towards him.

"I'm fine," Edward grumbled, but Lorraine helped him up anyways. "Thanks, Lorraine," he said. He reminded himself that he was lucky to have her in his life as he skated by her side, letting himself glide along the ice.

A few more hours passed, but eventually, even the children got tired. "I'm cold!" Everett complained to his parents.

"Why don't we go inside then?" Phil suggested.

Edward, who was exhausted and still a little bit shaken by his fall, was grateful for Phil's suggestion. "That's a great idea," he said.

"Do we have to?" Sylvie asked, pouting.

"Let's go inside, sweetheart," Audrey said. "It's almost lunchtime, and your brother needs to warm up."

"It's not even that cold out," Sylvie said, but she did skate towards the shore. The rest of the family followed her, and once he was off of the ice, Edward took off his ice skates, put his shoes back on, and used his cane to help him walk back to his house. Before he went inside, Edward looked out over Clearwater Lake one more time. He could see Phil's house on the other side of the lake: the same house that Edward's parents had once owned. Edward had grown up in that house, and he was glad that it was still in the family. So much had changed in Clearwater Lake since his childhood, but a few important things had stayed exactly the same.

"I'll make some hot cocoa for everyone," Lorraine said as soon as everyone was inside.

"No, I can do that," Edward said. "You've done a lot today, Lorraine."

"Are you sure, Edward?" Lorraine said.

"I'm sure," Edward said. "You already made breakfast. The least that I can do is make some hot chocolate for everyone."

"Okay, honey," Lorraine said with a smile.

Edward started making hot chocolate, and as he was finishing up, Sylvie entered the kitchen. "Hi Grandpa," she said as she stood on her tiptoes to see what Edward was working on.

"Hi Sylvie," Edward said. "I'm almost done making hot chocolate. It will be ready for you in a few minutes."

"Can I help?" Sylvie asked.

Edward nearly said no - he was almost done, after all - but he saw Sylvie's pleading eyes. He shrugged and said, "Why not?" He handed Sylvie a packet of cocoa, and he said, "Tear it open and pour it into your mug."

"Okay!" Sylvie said as she did as Edward instructed. Edward then gave her a spoon from one of the kitchen drawers and told her to stir, and she did. When the hot cocoa was finished, Sylvie carried all of the mugs out to the living room.

"Thanks for helping, Sylvie," Edward said.

"Thanks for taking us skating, Grandpa," Sylvie said as she hugged Edward. He wrapped his arms around his granddaughter and held her close for a few precious moments.

"You're welcome," he said softly. Sylvie ran off to drink her hot chocolate, and Edward took a sip from his own mug. The rest of the family chatted as he enjoyed the sweet drink, but Everett soon became cranky.

"I think it's time for his nap," Audrey explained. "It was nice to see you two."

"It was nice to see you guys too," Lorraine said. "See you soon!"

"Bye Grandma! Bye Grandpa!" Sylvie exclaimed.

Despite his reluctance to have Phil and his family over earlier in the day, Edward was glad that they came. Their visit had reminded him of just how much he loved his family, and he promised himself that he would never lose sight of what was truly important in life.