Enjoy family activities often

Last week, when I touted the virtues of the Albuquerque Biopark Light Show, I was speaking from only conjecture and reputation. I'd never seen it, only seen the highlights, images, TV news coverage, etc.

This week, after we have taken our grandchildren Jason and Mikayla to the show, I can honestly say that it went beyond my expectations. The entire Botanical Garden is turned into an amazing array of scenarios, some of them biologically themed, others following a holiday pattern. Truthfully, color photographs would make a better impression than my words can give the reader.

There are special events that, geared to Jason and Mikayla while they are still young enough to enjoy them, are the type of family activity that should be enjoyed and experienced every two or three years. State Fair, Balloon Fiesta, Santa Fe Fiesta, and now, adding to the list, Rio Grande Biopark Light Show and a hockey game in Amarillo.

Other activities, pretty much because they don't cost anything, can be daily events during holiday time off. The two most notable would be playing Minecraft -one of a very few video games which make sense to me- and the Infamous Holiday Driveway Basketball Classic, in which two grandparents get spanked on a daily basis by two quickmoving little kids. The latter is one of those times when one is glad that nobody is making a “UTube.”

Then, of course, there is the family institution known as Movie Night, or usually several Movie Nights, in which all lights must be totally off for viewing selected films. That can be a real challenge for this grandfather, who probably has ADHD and finds it difficult to watch a movie, or anything, without doing something else at the same time.

I recently read an article in a Parade magazine about a 94 year old woman who competes, and sets records in, senior adult track competition. Among the factors which lead to her incredible vigor, most of which are sort of predictable and not radically fanatical, is the reality that she very seldom sits still for very long. She has a lot of interests, and they keep her moving, mentally and physically.

I hope that this, with the help of my grandchildren, is something like the way I am approaching life.

Clyde Davis is a Presbyterian pastor and teacher at Clovis High School. He can be contacted at:

[email protected]