Are relationships all that valuable?

Granddaughter Lydia texted. “Grandma, can I come early and bring some friends?” The original plan was to spend a couple nights with us on her way to college. Plan “B” was to arrive three days early and be the activities director for a handful of her hometown high school friends.

They rafted the Deschutes River. Hiked the trail above the moraine lake in Three Fingered Jack. Attended a concert in the amphitheater. And hiked up to Misery Ridge at Smith Rock State Park, arriving by sunset.

Misery Ridge at Smith Rock State Park

We started with five teenagers, and The Parents joined us a couple days later with a 16-year-old grandson before two more of Lydia’s friends showed up … bringing the teen count up to eight overnight.

We stacked them in, and when they all left at the end of the week the youngest stayed behind. He mowed lawns. Spread bark mulch in the landscaped areas. Helped Grandpa Dan hang a wall for shelving in the shop.

Earlier in the summer, we camped with kids and grands. Sticky fingers from marshmallows roasting over a fire. Deer watching. Bike riding.

Camping at Lava Lake

A granddaughter asked to come for a few days. More hiking, bike riding, and fishing on Paulina Lake.

Fishing on Paulina Lake

And then two grandsons were here. An air show, outdoor food truck cuisine, conversations around a fire pit.

2026 Madras Air Show

Of course it would have been easier cooking for just the two of us. It would been easier not hauling teens and floating devices. Not pulling the boat to the lake. Not to mention feeding a hungry crew. (Although the teens grocery shopped and made dinner for us one evening. Chicken alfredo and Caesar salad. Yum.)

But it also would have been less lively. There would have been less laughter. Fewer important conversations. Fewer non-grandkid teenagers asking, “Can we call you grandma?”

No matter the loads of laundry, the expense, the falling into bed exhausted at the end of a day—this was infinitely better than wondering how the grandkids were doing and why we never hear from them.

Are relationships all that valuable?

You’ve noticed the trend, right?—how our culture continues to come up with better and better ideas so people don’t have to interact with people.

Pumping your own gas. Ordering groceries through DoorDash. Placing your meal order on a machine in the fast food lobby where you once conversed with an actual person who took your order. Buying almost anything online. Even the UPS guy doesn’t stop to chat; he drops, knocks, and runs.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with ordering online or having your meal/groceries/yarn delivered at your convenience. But if this is how we do life on a daily level, then perhaps we could look for ways to interact with people.

A Prevention magazine article, titled “The Ultimate 21-Day Brain Health Challenge,” lists 21 things to do that can help sharpen our brains. The suggestion for Day #14 is to talk to everyone we see:

Every time you connect with another person, whether it’s a smile or a quick hello, it’s thought to sharpen your brain’s synapses and boosts your mental health. Today, interact with everyone you encounter: Wave to the delivery guy, stop your dog-walking neighbor for a quick chat (and puppy pet), compliment the color of the store clerk’s sweater.

Dan and I just happen to live in a mountain resort community with dozens of lakes, a river that flows through the middle of our town, and miles of bike and hiking paths in town and in the nearby wilderness. We realize not everyone has access to—or the toys to play in—the great outdoors. And not everyone lives close enough to their family members to interact with them on a regular in-person basis. But you don’t have to run a summer camp for teenagers out of your home to strengthen family relationships.

Maybe your method for staying connected consists of tea parties with The Littles or teaching your pre-teens how to play chess. These activities can be done in person, or via video chat or online games.

Or consider starting an old-fashioned letter-writing project that keeps the mailman busy between you and the grands. Just for fun, you can include stickers, or a $5 bill for a smoothie break, or a photo of you with your grandchild when they were tiny.

Happiness and fulfillment and success are achieved by staying connected to our Creator and the people in our lives. We weren’t designed to do life alone.

We were meant to gather family, and friends who are like family, and strangers who will become friends. We were meant to love and encourage and share food within community.

When our loved ones live some distance away, it’s more challenging (or near impossible) to gather in person, to share a meal together. But there are plenty of creative ways to build connection to the most important people in our lives.

As for whether the grandkids age the grandparents more quickly … or help keep them young, the jury’s still out.

But there’s this thought:

Grandparents aren’t old … they’ve just been having fun longer.