Joel is our grandson.

He loves his mother dearly. Maybe that love goes all the way back to his beginning. He was born a preemie — several weeks early, weighing just 3 pounds and 1 ounce. He spent the first months of his life in the NICU, inching his way toward his due date. His mother spent every day there, pouring love into him. They’ve had a special bond ever since.

But on to my story (from May 2023).

Joel loves going to a store in Westfield, Indiana called Tad’s Antiques and Collectibles. I took him there yesterday. Aisle after aisle of old treasures — baseball cards, Victrolas (record players for you young whippersnappers), silver tea sets, pictures, jewelry, furniture, and just about anything else you can imagine. Junk to me. Treasures to my grandson.

Joel had planned our day. First, lunch with Uncle Jared at Torchy’s Tacos in Fishers. Then on to Tad’s.

I followed him from aisle to aisle, oohing and ahhing over the items he pointed out. There was no hurry — he had the day off school, and for a retired grandpa, every day is a Saturday. One of the vendors, an older gentleman who loved airplanes, told us stories about the plane he and his dad built fifty years ago. Joel soaked it all in.

Of course, Joel didn’t leave Tad’s empty‑handed. He had money in his wallet — earned working for his mother, and for Pa and Nana (that’s Nancy and me). After looking over countless items, it didn’t surprise me what he chose:

A ring for his mother, and a John Deere cap for himself.

He told the cashier the ring was for his mom. She understood immediately. She placed it in a small gift bag with crinkly paper. Joel was very pleased.

On the way home, we stopped for our traditional small Wendy’s Frosties. When we pulled into Audra’s driveway, the first thing he did was take the gift bag to his mother.

She opened it and pulled out the ring — a plastic silver band with a large, gaudy fake sapphire. She slipped it onto her finger as if it were the Queen’s diamond ring. She soaked in the moment, and in the love behind it. She told me later she would keep it forever.

I captured the moment with a picture.

Being a grandpa…

A sacred calling.

As founding Pastor of The Bridge Community Church and Executive Director of Mo Hodge Ministries, Mo resources Pastors and Leaders in the area of leadership development. He enables Pastors and leaders in the following areas: Developing Teams, Church Growth, Church Planting, Discipleship Multiplication, Nonprofit Organizational Management, Multi-site Church Development, Public Speaking, Capital Campaigns, and Sr. Pastor Succession. … Mo and his wife, Nancy, live in Anderson, IN with their children and grandchildren. Though retired, Mo is still active in ministry, preaching, teaching, and planting new churches wherever the Lord leads. You can follow him on LinkedIn or through his Newsletter.

Photographs by Mo Hodge