To the Moon and Back

With an original image from Midjourney

Image created on Midjourney

“Grammy?”

Maureen looked up from the shoelace knot she was trying to untangle for her grandson. “Yes Scotty?”

“I love you all the way to the moon and stars.”

Setting Scotty’s sneaker down, Maureen gathered him into a hug and kissed the top of his head. “I love you to the moon and back and all the way to the stars too, darling.”

Scotty beamed up at Maureen, clearly proud of remembering her way of telling him how much she loved him, then ran off to play.

Maureen picked up the sneaker and began working on the knot again. A wistful smile played across her lips as she remembered what her mother used to say to Scotty’s father. He had had his own version of that as well.

“I love your pieces,” Pete would proudly say in response to Maureen’s mother’s, “I love you to pieces.”

Savoring the sweet memory, Maureen reflected that though the words changed, the love between a grandmother and her grandchild was eternally and marvelously always the same.

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I have to admit to getting a little teary as I wrote this story. I tell my grandsons, “I love you to the moon and back and all the way to the stars.” When Greyson was small, he said exactly what Scotty says. Greyson gets it right now, but his little brother, Malcolm, has his own version.

My mother and oldest son’s (not the boys’ father) respective versions of “I love you to pieces” is faithfully rendered in the story as well. I hope it warms your heart as much as it does mine.

I created this image specifically so I could make t-shirts for myself and my grandsons. You can get your own t-shirt (or other merchandise) with this image in my shop. Just click on the picture below!