Life Plans Via Memes

Oh I just love those memes and posts on facebook.  The ones like I am only going to be married once and it will be forever until I am old.  Teach your kids to be responsible and they will be fine. What I have learned in all the time I have been here, is you can't plan life.  Life likes to throw curveballs.
Growing up and as a young adult, I too, thought I would have this perfect family and be married for 50 or 60 years (and some people do make that).  I thought my children (those who I had a hand in raising) would make their way in the world successfully, responsibly, respectably.  Ha.
I did have a relationship with Dave that spanned over 31 years.  That's a long time, but he died.  And people do.  So when I see those memes about being married until old old age I just think as long as no one dies.  It's a big damper on that plan.  My family has/had a lot of women living to old age without their spouses/SO.
My son went down the addiction path and has completed treatment a couple of times.  One of the things I heard from that and the tough love group I belonged to was to let go of the dream I had for my child.  Much easier said than done.  And it really is letting go of the dreams I had for all of my children.  We can't control them and they will live their own lives.  And their plans surely will not be ours.
Back in my youth, I certainly never planned on raising grandchildren in my fifties.  Just did the math yesterday and I will be 66 when the little man graduates from high school.  My plan naturally was to be an empty nester and travelling, gardening and playing.  Ha.  Life and those curveballs.
So I am glad for the travelling that Dave and I did, the experiences we gave our children, and taking on the littles.  I am in a different place than I was in my youth.  I have learned a lot.  Still learning. Still working on the not enabling my son (not successfully).  Playing a lot with the littles.  Doing things, working hard and trying to teach them some different things.  Kindness, compassion, empathy. I'm giving them lots of experiences and memories. I'm not planning too far ahead with firm plans.  Tentative with the likelyhood of curveballs. One day at a time.  There is a lot of love here. And funny how there aren't any cutesy memes for grandparents raising grandchildren.