If you don’t know, Roblox is a game that has overtaken the brains of boys age 7-12.
Because she loves her grandson, it has also overtaken the time of my mom. (Also known as my son’s grandma).
She lives thousands of miles and eight states away.
But, every morning, she is in my house (well, virtually), playing with my son.
He uses FaceTime to connect with her, clandestinely moving the video image out of view, and they find each other in the particular Roblox game-of-choice, on the same server. There, in that virtual world, they team up and build boats, rob banks, eliminate zombies. You know, the usual grandchild/grandma activities.
Sometimes, they will play for a few hours.
Confession: I have never played Roblox. I, frankly, don’t get it.
Self-sacrificing love is Heaven’s version – the kind that requires us to freely give of something valuable because the impact is worth it.
My son says that his grandma is his BFFL (Best Friend for Life).
Worth it?
As I watch her with him, I realize how much she gave me during my own childhood.
Even though she tells me she was so busy with her own job and taking care of a family…I’m sure she sacrificed her time for me just as she does for him.
As I watch them together, sometimes I’m envious that her DNA contains such a spirit of self-sacrifice.
When I see her in action, I realize that even though I’m a full-blown ‘grown up’ now, she’s still teaching me. (You know, a mother’s job is never done and all that…). She’s preparing me to one day be the grandmother to my own grandkids that she is to him.
Actually, who am I kidding?
She’s helping me be the mother I want to be…her lessons are for me, now.
Softly, gently, she’s demonstrating how much my son experiences love delivered in the package of quality time.
Time and love are so interconnected.
Time is scarce. It seems there’s never enough.
Yet, love is abundant. It’s exponentially created and multiplied. By giving just a little bit…we get more.
Yet, time, when it’s given because of love or as a way to express love…it does something crazy.
It causes hearts to attach in ways that will surpass time.
The connection is as raw and real and powerful and full of joy as it was in the moment it was created.
If you’ve ever lost a loved one, you know what I mean.
And, it’s because of this special relationship between time and love, that we need to choose where to find speed in our day.
So we can ‘create’ more time…
And, use that time to package up some love.
And, give it away.
Amazing story and great reminder about how giving a little we can get a lot. I also do not get Roblox and as a matter of fact really hate what it does to my son: sweetest boy before playing so I’ll let him and a tornado of frustrations every time the countdown begins.
At the end of the day, I’ve got to admit that Roblox is my temp virtual nanny for those 30-60 mins I want of peace so it’s more of a love-hate relationship.
What am I doing to create more time? Every time I ask for something at work via email I end with “thanks in advance” and avoid sending another email just to say thank you ; )
Ha! What a great tip to avoid an email expressing gratitude. And, yes…me too on the love-hate with technology. I see the same outcome in behavior and have started to be more observant of the impact. Of course, no one likes being told that thing they’re enjoying is coming to an end, but the concept of ‘earning’ that time is intriguing to me lately.
Love this. And grandma and her lessons, too. 🙂
She just keeps on teaching…:-)