My friend Jake and I have an ongoing argument over which of us has the most adorable grandchildren. Obviously, it's no contest.

Marcy will be six next month, and Joe will be three in July, and if there's anything more beautiful on the planet, I don't know what it is. Once you get past the constant volume (extra loud) and the constant level of energy (extremely high), you see these little turbocharged packages of love rocketing around and you can't help but feel good.

For those of you without grandchildren yet, it's hard to understand the feeling. You take pride in your children and their accomplishments, but there's something special about the grandchildren. I think it's that sense of a little bit of immortality that comes with knowing that a piece of you is living on ... that no matter how worn out and tired you feel (and I feel that a lot on some days!), part of you is still living in that joyous little bubble of time and space allotted to children, where everything is a wonder and each day is something new to be wrestled to the ground and enjoyed to the fullest. We lose that much too soon as we grow older and more cynical about the world around us. But it's great to know that, in spite of war and fear, skyrocketing property taxes and all-time record oil company profits, our grandchildren have that precious wedge of time when no worries cloud the horizon, life is there to be enjoyed, and the love gushes out in hugs and kisses and cuddles that make all the other problems of the world seem small.

Enjoy your weekend.

Bilbo