As our vacation came to a close, we had the unexpected invitation of visiting with one of Nana's childhood friends, Judy, who is also Tom's god mother. Although the four Rinck kids all knew Judy when we were much younger, our paths have not crossed much as adults. And certainly, our children have not had the opportunity to develop a friendship with her. So you can imagine the kids surprise when we mentioned going to visit Judy on our last day of vacation! Nana explained that Judy had suffered an accident that was requiring far more convalescing at her sister's house on the Cape than originally anticipated, and she was truly getting depressed with her slow recovery. Clearly, a visit from our clan, which was a blast from the past for Judy, would offer a little diversion from her routine days. The kids/teens were encouraged to join the adults, but we did not insist they come. And wouldn't you know that all the grandchildren who had not already left the Cape, joined Buppa, Nana and her friend Judy for coffee, muffins and a lovely little visit! Judy is smart, well traveled and very interesting. It was really a terrific "teaching moment" for all as admittedly, the gorgeous weather and beach held a much greater draw for the day's activity. But thankfully, we could all appreciate that in retrospect, an hour or so of our time meant so much to a friend of Nana's looking for a little extra companionship. And of course.....us adults all recognize that we are getting older and becoming increasingly, if not painfully, aware of life's challenges in the "golden years". Supporting others in a time of need, whether we know them or not, is a service lesson that all the grandchildren will hopefully pass along to their children. A wonderful lesson that Nana and Buppa continue to lead by example.
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