For the last two decades or so, almost every Fourth of July, as well as days surrounding the holiday, we had spent time at our daughter-in-law Kathy’s Grandfather’s lake-front cottage in Michigan. PT, as we affectionately called him, passed away in 2013 but the tradition continues, thanks to Sandie and Paul Nelson who always welcome us with open arms. In my mind, PT’s spirit is alive and well.
This year, because of the critical juncture of our investment business, we were able to make only a day trip on June 30, rather than an extended one leading up to the fireworks on the Fourth. As short as it was, I had a lovely time with everyone who was already there, including Belle and Matt Nelson, both of whom I adore like our own grandchildren.
Earlier in June, during their trip to New York, Jesse surprised Kathy and children with tickets to “Hamilton, the Musical” on Broadway. Jessica said that the girls (Mom, Jessica, and Alyssa) were seated in Box A which, I’m told, is usually reserved for invited guests of cast members.
Thanks to that experience, during our visit at the lake, Jessica read me the entire book of “Hamilton, the musical.” It is about an inch thick. I was completely captivated by it. In the process, I was able to learn more in depth about the American history, with which I have always been fascinated since childhood. The story gave me a glimpse of the relationships among some of the Founding Fathers. It also gave me a chance to learn the meanings of some words I had never taken the time to fully understand such as, “quid pro quo.” Between Jesse and Jessica, they answered all of the questions I had in terms of the American history as well as the English language. Over the years, as their mom and grandma, I must have taught them many things. Today, the roles are reversed and I learn a lot from them, especially because English remains my second language and I never seem to run out of things to learn. Above all else, I discovered the utter joy of being read to by someone else. I could not believe how Jessica had the patience to read to me the entire book. Thank you, Jessica!
What was incredible to me was that Ryan, who just turned 12, knew by heart the words to every single song in “Hamilton, the Musical.” Ryan said that he was seated in the third row from the stage on the main floor with Dad. (Jesse explained that it was impossible to get seats together for a family of five, even though he bought them weeks in advance.) I could almost picture Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of the musical, when bowing to the audience at the end, specifically pointing at Ryan, silently acknowledging him as someone who knew the words to the entire musical, which has to be Lin’s pride and joy. I cannot wait to see it in a DVD from one of the last performances with the original cast in July 2016.
Incidentally, it is interesting to note that, in April 2016, perhaps due to the popularity of this Broadway show, Alexander Hamilton, who helped create the Treasury Department and the modern American financial system, was spared from being replaced on the $10 bill by Harriet Tubman. Instead, Ms. Tubman, a Civil War-era abolitionist, will replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.
A chance to play with Alyssa and Belle our favorite card game, Demon, was a lot of fun. They patiently waited for me to be done with the Hamilton book so that I could finally play with them. Years ago, when I first learned to play this game at the cottage, Kathy used to be the only one that was a real threat to consistently beat everyone else. Today, the two girls are getting so good at it that I am lucky if I can win one out of ten games. I used to be so competitive but not so much any more; or at least not when playing card games with them. I simply cherish the time spent with these girls, who are beautiful both inside and out. I guess this is what people mean when they say, “when we get older, we become mellow.” These precious girls sure melt my heart every time.
As of this writing, Belle is already 12 years old and almost as tall as me! And, after this summer, Alyssa is going off to college. Time keeps flying and kids keep growing up so fast. It seems not so long ago when I went through some serious separation anxiety when our own kids were about to go off to college. Today, our granddaughters are college age already!?
Because of the timing of our visit, we were not able to see everyone in the extended family. But I also know that they are all committed to being there at Thanksgiving at Jesse and Kathy’s residence each year.
I am blessed with such a loving extended family. Along with David, they all make me feel like the luckiest girl on earth. Life is good.
