I am in my senior year at KU and have a midterm due tonight. Instead, I am writing my thoughts on this Thursday mid-morning as I sit at a kitchen table in my daughter’s home in north Texas while two little boys giggle at a handheld screen over on the couch, and eight kids take a break from school work to jump on the trampoline outside.

Taking care of ten grandchildren by myself for a week is no small task. At the end of each evening, my bones ache, my back cramps, and my feet are screaming at me. But there have been so many priceless moments and I am so grateful these children know me and know that I love them.

I’ll take these grandparent aches any day over the dread of a midterm.