DAWN AND CARRIE

Dawn’s Inspiration
The journey to visit my grandkids begins in an airport. Being a long-distance grandparent, was not what I had envisioned.  I imagined weekend visits and celebrations together. But that’s not how it worked out.  So how could I create  a special connection with my far away grandkids?

I needed a role model and lucky for me, while growing up I had one.  She was my “Grandma from Chicago” (yes, that’s what we called her). Grandma was one-of-a kind. She was zany, outspoken and always on trend. You could talk to her about anything! Because she was a long train or plane ride away, visits were infrequent. But they were always memorable!  In between visits, she even made our phone calls fun.

That special bond my grandma created, or should I say insisted on, inspires me to this day.  I hope to follow in her quirky, fun- loving footsteps. So, I would like to dedicate this post to my Grandma from Chicago. She gifted me wonderful years of smiles beyond miles!

During this challenging time, like many of you, I hope it will be safe to fly again soon. I can’t wait to see my grandkids! In the meantime, I’ll continue to find creative ways to connect with them. I look forward to helping you connect with yours.

Carrie’s Inspiration
In our family, journeys have always been part of being grandparents.  When I think of my Nana and Gramps, I can still see them stepping off the Greyhound bus with shopping bags full of homemade treats.  Decades later, my own parents shared their long distance love by tape recording stories for their grandson.  Very often, these books-on-tape triggered the sweetest conversations.

Here we are today with COVID-19. There are hundreds of miles between us and our grandkids. Now, instead of trolling for Southwest Airline deals, I do FaceTime to read favorite stories. Thanks to patient grandkids, I’ve figured out how to position my iPhone to display both the book’s pictures and its words.  I bet that you, too, have found clever ways to bridge the geographic and social distances.  I look forward to hearing how you maintain these precious connections. And, I hope you will enjoy reading about fun activities that spark smiles with our grandkids.

I dedicate this blog entry to my parents who taught me to lovingly connect across miles and to our kids, who are now moms, dads, aunts and uncles. They keep the doors open for these special moments. Most importantly, they support us to create smilesbeyondmiles.