Gifts are not always wrapped

Have you ever been given a gift but you didn't really know it was a gift until you were older. For example when I was younger my grandparents spent alot of time with me. I was always over at their house, spending the night, cooking and eating yummy stuff with my grandma. I would get into her best shoes and clothes and play dress up. My grandpa would spend hours teaching me about wood stuff or farm stuff or just stuff. We would go on road trips to places all over Washington state and sometimes to places out of state. My grandparents were the best thing in my life for almost my entire life. I miss my grandparents so much and sometimes wish I could go back and do more for them. All the time with them was a gift. I got the best parts of my grandpa, the gentle, loving, fun, inspirational, sensitive, and forgiving sides that maybe he didn't get to share with his kids cause he had to raise them. Its different being a grandparent then being a parent. Kids mind better for grandparents but grandparents let them have a little more freedom. Freedom to make mistakes or messes. My time with them was the best gift and I hope that my parents and Katos parents will give my kids that same gift. Its really not the wrapped presents or the stuff in hard to open packages that make kids most happy it really is the time you have to give them. Its the unconditional time love and understanding. I hope to be able to give my grandkids this same gift and that one day they will be saying the same things about me. I am writing all this stuff because we just got another gift. I won't say what it is until I am certain it won't be taken away from my kids and from my nieces. All I can say is I am very proud and if I could give all my strength to my parents I would in a heartbeat!! thanks for reading xoxo