Things we can learn from our grandchildren

    Like all grandparents, we often think our grandchildren wear these little halos and say the cutest things. Occasionally, they say amazing things, and once in a while, they DO amazing things. Yesterday was one of those days. We took one of our grandchildren, Joshua, who is 8, to the grocery store with us and while we were there, he spent his time doing all the things an 8 year old will do, and at one point, was on his hands and knees looking under the self checkout counters for coins. Which he found - 48 cents worth - and was very proud of his find.
     As he held them tightly in his fist, I asked him what he planned to do with this newfound wealth. He replied he didn't know, but you could see his eyes and mind wandering as he gazed at the impulse items aligning the shelves next to us as we checked out. (He was with two of his four grandparents who would have indulged him in his choices, unlike a parent who would say, not that, not this and so on.) He didn't buy anything though, and as we walked out of the store, behind a table, sat an older man. Piled on the table were bunches of paper poppies and a donation box with a sign saying, Memorial Day Poppies.
     Grandma said, "Josh, if you wanted to spend your money, that would be a good thing to spend it on." Joshua asked why. Grandma said, "Because all the money goes to help veterans who return home from the war. The man will give you a poppy and you can keep it and it will always remind you that there are people who fight for your freedom and even give their lives so you can live in a free county."
     Without hesitating, he walked up, put the 48 cents into the money box and collected his poppy. He said, "I'll show this to my mom and dad tonight, when we go to Grammy and Grandpop's."
     As we walked to the car, apparently I started experiencing an allergy of some sort, because my eyes were beginning to water, and I had a funny tightness in my chest. As we were putting the groceries in the car, my wife asked me, "Why do they sell poppies for Memorial Day? Do you know?"
     I answered, "It's because of the poem, Flanders Fields, which starts, "In Flander's Fields, the poppies grow, between the grave sites row by row, or something like that. It's one of the most famous poems of World War I, and honors the men who are buried in Europe after being killed in battle. On Memorial Day we buy poppies to remind us of why they died." (Actually, the first two stanzas are, In Flanders fields the poppies blow, between the crosses, row by row.) 
     As we rode home in silence, each of us thinking our own thoughts about the past few moments, Joshua was gripping his poppy and looking at it. He then suddenly spoke up and said, "I did a good thing, didn't I?" I couldn't answer for at that moment, for that funny allergy business returned suddenly and I found it difficult to talk. So, I just drove home as Grandma was able to softly answer, "Yes, Joshua, you did a good thing."