Having a grand time with family members

My 80th year was celebrated in February with my adult children, but the celebration continued until this past weekend with the arrival of my six adult grandchildren — and 1 fiancé. They came from New York, Minnesota, Texas and Norman.

The last time all six of them were together at one time was 10 years ago. Now the youngest is 18 and the oldest is 26 — no longer children, but young adults.

Jessica, Sarah, Aly, Sebastian, Jacob and Zachary are kind and have big hearts. They are thoughtful, helpful and know how to be a friend. They are curious about how to live a good life. They are growing wise and becoming independent and finding their place in the world.

Over dinner on Saturday evening, we sat for four hours — eating, sharing stories, laughing and crying. I turned in at midnight. They didn't want time together to end and stayed up until 2 a.m.

They joined me for church on Sunday morning and we then journeyed to one of my favorite places — Oklahoma City's Ganache Patisserie, where owners Matt and Laura welcomed us with delicious eats.

Then it was time to for them to return to the places they live now— all out of state except for grandson Sebastian who is a senior at the University of Oklahoma.

In telling them goodbye, I was reminded of a line from the latest adaptation of “To

Kill a Mockingbird,” now playing on Broadway. The adaptation tells the story through the eyes of Atticus Finch's children, Scout and Jem. In the last scene, Calpurnia, the Finchs' cook who had helped raise the children, looks at Scout, the teenage daughter, and says “Scout, when I look at you, I like what I see.”

I looked at my grandchildren and I understood Calpurnia. I borrowed her line. When I look at you, I like what I see.