For the month of September I decided I’d post a picture each day of things I love, and it’s been fun deciding which ones to use first, then next, and today it was an especially easy choice. I chose this happy, fun, exciting photo of my six year old grandson, Ash, at his first college football game.  Living near Athens, Ga, he went with his mom and dad to see UGA and UB, with the stadium packed as you can see.

Never mind the score, never mind the traffic, when I see this photo I see a young boy who wanted to go see a UGA football game and parents who were willing to brave the traffic to go, and if any of you have ever been in Athens, GA or even Atlanta on a game day, then you know what I mean when I speak of traffic. It’s insane. But they went and a wonderful time was had by all.

I see in this picture the smiling face of my little grandson whom I love so dearly, knowing his mom and dad are there with him. and there’s nothing to ruin the day except maybe the heat. It was a blazing hot Georgia day!  When you’re six years old and you have a great day like this, it’s an experience you’ll look back on when you’re 40 or 50 or … good grief, even longer, I imagine!

It brings to mind the memories and events of this summer that Ash will look back on when he’s older.  He’s an awesome bike rider, artist,  hockey player, first grader, and a member of the high school graduating class of 2024. Just ask him and he’ll proudly show you his ‘Class of 24’ bracelet!

His smiling face in his photo speaks to me of the future, of achievement and ambition, of future goals, of joy and love of life and excitement of every single day.  It’s amazing to me when one photo can show so much. Or maybe it’s just that I happen to be a Grandma.

Once when I was in Georgia staying with him for a few weeks, when he was only three years old, he’d be up early in the morning. Every day. At 5:30 a.m. I’d find him standing by the front door in his pajamas, holding his shoes in his hands, saying, “Grandma. Come on. It’s outside time!”  Of course nobody went anywhere until Grandma had her coffee. But I knew that he’d never change ~ he’d always be ready for the next big adventure, ready to take on  a new challenge -ready to read, interact with friends at school, volunteer for school plays and so much more.

He’s getting taller and I’m getting older.  It’s the natural order of things. I hope he’ll always know that just saying his name puts a big smile on my face, just like the smile on his face in this picture of him at his first UGA football game.

When I look closely at this picture, I also see reflections of my daughter in that smile. It’s no wonder this picture also puts tears of joy in my eyes.  It’s a Grandma thing!