Relationships that grow with time

I'm very thankful for my grandparents. When I was growing up, I only saw them a few times a year because they lived in central PA and I lived in Connecticut. But we talked on the phone about once a week, and the three grandkids (my sister, my cousin Jonathan, and I) knew that they loved us and were interested in our lives. Through college, getting married, and having kids, my grandparents were always able to offer advice and tell stories about when they were in similar situations. Probably one of the things I have appreciated most about them lately is their ability to relate to being in the ministry. My pap was a pastor for over forty years, so he saw just about everything a pastor could see. And my grandma was right there with him. They never tried to tell us how to do ministry or what was right or wrong. They could just relate. Now my pap is in heaven (sometimes I wonder exactly what he's doing up there, but I know he's happy and not in any pain) and my grandma's still here. To be honest, mentally, she's starting to fade. But she remembers being in the ministry with my pap. She loves talking about it and is always encouraging to us. So I'm thankful that they were able to love us as young kids, yet allow us to grow up and relate to us as adults.