It is possible that I am he luckiest guy in the world. It is possible that my grandson is the smartest 2-year-old on the planet. It is possible that I have the best son and daughter a guy could have. It is possible that I am exaggerating. But I am one very fortunate guy. One of the elements that gives shape and meaning to life is gratitude. I find myself feeling very grateful much of the time these days.

I have been allowed to see great beauty. The drive across the plains of Southwestern Montana and into the mountains was wonderful and then we just kept going, through north Idaho and into Washington and up to the high country of the North Cascades. There are people who live the whole of their lives in cities without experiencing the open country and the wild places. I am sure that they have full and meaningful lives, but they miss experiences that I sometimes take fr granted. To be able to travel and camp in such beautiful country is a privilege that is unique not only to a very few of us who are privileged to be able to travel when we want, but also unique in history. It took Lewis and Clark two years to make their voyage of discovery, and they missed some of the country that we have seen because it was too remote and too difficult to travel through. We have enjoyed access on good roads.

And now we are on Fidalgo Island, in the Puget Sound, where the sunsets are truly glorious and the sea breeze brings a freshness to our lives that we don’t experience at home in the hills.

And we have been joined by our family, whose members have given us the gift of time and presence. Both of our children have married people who are supportive of family. This is a wonderful gift in and of itself.

And there is that two-and-a-half-year-old. I haven’t exaggerated his brilliance. I have vivid memories of the times when our children were young. I could just stare at them while they were sleeping and marvel at what wonders they were. That feeling comes back instantly as I watch our grandson sleep in his bed in our camper. He is so much at home in his world. When his father was the age that he is now, we took our first study leave and traveled to Berkeley, California where we engaged in a short residency at Pacific School of Religion. On our way, we traveled to visit my brother and his family on Whidbey Island, just south of the island where we are camped on this trip. We had a brand new tent and we slept in the tent in the back yard. Our son wasn’t thrown by the unusual sleeping arrangements. He was very comfortable to be on an adventure and to explore the world.

Now, all of these years later, our grandson is sleeping peacefully in our camper, equally at home in his world. He stirred briefly in the night and I went to check on him. He told me where he was, “sleeping in my bed in the camper.” He told me where his dad was, “sleeping in the little house.” He told me where I sleep, “In the big bed in the camper.” And he told me where the toys were, “Concrete truck is sleeping in the shed (cupboard).” And then he put his head back on his pillow, comfortable and at home in his world.

We have not been with our grandson face-to-face since February. When you are two, half a year is a quarter of your life. And yet he knows us, recognizes us, and feels safe to be with us. It is a miracle of family. And I am the luckiest guy in the world. I’m not exaggerating about that part.

Again, I have a sense of being so fortunate to live in the moment of time that is ours. We have the luxury of traveling to be with our family. For many generations past, leaving the home territory meant leaving family behind. When our grandfather Abraham and grandmother Sarah left their home, they never returned. Their families that remained behind were never again seen. They never had another conversation with their parents and cousins and other members of their clan.

We visit with our grandson by video conference whenever we want. We have technology to purse a conversation at will. We can see his world and he can see ours even when we are more than a thousand miles apart. I know that technology is an invention of humans and not a miracle of God, but the workings of the human mind and the ability to imagine and then create such technologies are a marvel.

Today promises a wonder of exploring the world and sharing life with our family. There is a children’s festival here in Anacortes. We found a toy and children’s bookstore worth exploring. There is a working waterfront with hundreds of boats to check out. Anacortes is filled with shops and restaurants and other interesting places. Perhaps we will go to the mountain that is at the heart of the island for 360-degree views of the sound and the mainland. Mt. Baker is a dramatic volcano to our northeast. The sound is filled with islands to the west. Seattle lies to the south with its urban sprawl and rush of modern life. There are many other options for our day.

The real treasure of the day, however, is not the places we will go or the things we will see. It is the joy of being together. Our family has gathered for the joy of being together. There are stories to tell and dreams to share, adventures to explore and memories to build. For the next week we are given the gift of being with people who share their spirits with us and blend their stories with ours.

I am not exaggerating about being the luckiest guy in the world.

Copyright © 2013 by Ted Huffman. I wrote this. If you want to copy it, please ask for permission. There is a contact me button at the bottom of this page. If you want to share my blog a friend, please direct your friend to my web site.