Love God, Love People, Love Family

My 92 year old Grandpa Helmuth and Uncle Nate (the great!) visited us in Costa Rica last week. I am still in shock they came. It was delightful. We drove among the windy roads, ate a variety of foods, cooled off in a swimming pool, and watched our girls jump around with the simple joy that their presence brings.  

One of the first things that Grandpa told me when I picked him up from the airport was that family is important. “That is why I came,” He said. And it’s true. I think what strikes me the most is his example of living out a value. It is one thing to have a phone conversation and hear my Grandpa tell me that family is important but it is so much more powerful for my grandpa to get on the plane despite his old age, or any fear of sickness or potential falls, all so that he can meet Gabriela and spend quality time with my girls. That speaks volumes.

Grandpa’s intentional actions coupled with intentional words (lest I think he’s coming to adventure in Costa Rica and we are just the cherry on top) will forever impact my life. Probably more than I realize. It’ll probably impact more how I raise my girls. It’ll probably impact how I make some decisions. And it will most definitely impact my desire to emphasize the importance of family.

I had many opportunities to ask Grandpa about his past and every story retold included family as he often highlighted a value that their character instilled in him. Hard work. Keeping your word. Discipline. Generosity. Optimism. Grandpa has traveled the world and led an interesting life – but as he lives out his years in the 90s – what Grandpa treasures the most are his relationships with God and family.

And you know what – the world is changing. We all know that. With the advent of the printing press, travel, and technology our world is rapidly spinning out of order. Our values get mixed up when we have too much information at our fingertips. And we are distracted. Our family may not be as close knit as they were before because we are getting less facetime (the real type, not on an iphone) than before. Where does that leave our children to gleam their major values from?

I should be preaching to the choir considering the fact that Michael and I are living thousands of miles away from our families. Yet – what it does do is give us perspective and a drive to ensure that our time spent here in Costa Rica is intentional with our girls and that our time spent with extended family during visits to the States is equally as intentional. My grandparents sure are leaving us with big shoes to fill. And my hope is that our girls catch the vision – to love God, love people, and love family because family is important.