Member-only story
Glimmer #16: For Love of the Gods
My grandson Johnny is the “cat” of my grandchildren. Unlike his siblings and his cousin, he is slow to give hugs and kisses. At six years old, he is figuring out how to walk the slender line between the sensitive, tender boy that he is and the cool guy that he wants to be.
He swaggers just a bit. He recently pulled up his little t-shirt to show me his “six pack.”
Like a cat, Johnny is picky about when and how he shows his love. In the same way that you can’t usually grab a cat to get a cuddle, you can’t reach for a hug when Johnny isn’t ready for one.
But if you stay quiet, a cat will eventually decide to climb onto your lap and allow you to stroke it.
It’s the same with our John. By forgoing my usual hug and kiss, and instead waving to him when we see each other, I have gotten to the “climb in my lap” phase.
Last week Johnny came into the house with his mom and sister and marched straight up to me. Looking very serious, he asked, “Who is your favorite Greek god or goddess?” He then rattled off a list of his favorites.
You see, our sweet little boy is completely enthralled with the stories of the ancients. I guess we can blame Rick Riordan and the “Lightning Thief” series. All I know is that for the past couple of years, Johnny has acquired more knowledge…
