This story is free to read.

Grand Thoughts: Learning the value of unconditional love

Phoebe Hunt and Elliot Boye, grandchildren of Radiators band member Dave Malone, sit backstage as the venerable Southern rock band performs at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, Sunday, May 3, 2015. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Phoebe Hunt and Elliot Boye, grandchildren of Radiators band member Dave Malone, sit backstage as the venerable Southern rock band performs at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, Sunday, May 3, 2015. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

By Karen Nazor Hill July 4, 2016 3 min read

Karen Nazor-Hill

I’m having the time of my life this summer getting to spend so much time with my three grandchildren.

I’m particularly enjoying the spontaneous subjects we discuss.

A couple weeks ago, for example, 9-year-old Tilleigh asked me if it was weird for me to think about my childhood.

I don’t know what sparked the question, other than the kids often ask me what their mommy and her siblings were like growing up. But talking about my childhood is a subject I love. So I pulled her into my lap and told her story after story of what it was like growing up as the daughter of Red and Evelyn Lancaster. My loving parents gave my brother, Larry, and me, a perfect childhood. They were doting parents who loved one another and adored us. Money was never cherished in our home. Love was.

But it was Tilleigh’s follow-up question that had me at a loss for words. The big lump in my throat blocked my ability to speak but didn’t stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks.