Life is about to change again. For most of his life, I have driven my grandson to school each day, and picked him up each afternoon. It is about a 12 mile trip one way and I have always loved that time together. But, he will turn 16 in a couple of weeks, and he already has a pickup, so he will be driving himself to school from now on. Makes me sad. But happy sad.

I was talking to him this morning on the way to school about how this was our last Friday morning drive together. I said, “I am running out of time. I hope I have taught you everything you need to know.” He just nodded, which honestly, more times than not is about all you get out of him in the mornings. Afternoons, he will talk more. Nevertheless, I was suddenly aware today of how valuable that time together has been, and what a teaching opportunity it has been.

I hope I have taught him to love Jesus most of all. I hope I have taught him that he never has to worry about problems or issues, because God is walking with him. In fact, every day as he gets out of the car I would always say, “Serve God. I love you. Have a good day.” I want him to have learned that serving God is of utmost importance as we walk our path each day.

I hope I have taught him kindness in a world that is not always kind. I hope I have taught him patience in a world that is always in a hurry. I hope I have taught him that doing your best in all things is the right thing. I always tell him to do one more than he thinks he can. As in his weightlifting. “Lift all you can, and then do one more.” Doing more than what is expected of you earns trust from other people. 

I hope I have taught him to laugh. He is a hard one to get to crack a smile, but once in a while I could get a grin out of him. Life is hard, find laughter wherever you can. I hope I have taught him to be respectful of his elders and of others, whether they act like they deserve respect or not.

I hope I have taught him that his attitude is truly the only thing he owns. You can’t change much of what goes on around you, whether it is at school or even at your home. But you can always be in control of your attitude. That attitude is what determines the type of day you will have. It is up to you each day.

I hope I have taught him to love always. Even those who are hard to love. Even those who don’t seem to love your back. Those hard to love people are so often the ones who need love the most. I hope I have taught him to treat others how he would like to be treated, whether they treat him that way or not.

I hope our time together has been more than a bus ride. I hope it has meant as much to him as it has to me. Above all, I hope I have made a difference for him.

These lessons are for all of us. Not just KD. Learn these things. They are important, and they will make a difference.

By: Gina Caswell Kelly