We had a bbq in the past few days, and I heated up the propane powered BBQ to grill the burgers. It made me think about when we were kids and Dad would pull the BBQ if we were having a summer meal and maybe even eat outside. Dad however, did not have propane!

The method, if you have any memory of this era, meant you had to start early. I remember Dad arriving from whatever had him pressed for time, leaping into his “play clothes” to pull the BBQ out of the garage (and it wasn’t much of a garage) into the backyard, ripping open the bag of charcoal to then pour lighter fluid on the bricks and strike the match….POOF!

And then to wait, and see, would the coals heat up? Would more fluid or matches be required? Would a piece of cardboard to fan flames be necessary?

Oh, my…poor Dad. Born before propane BBQ’s and smart phones.

We certainly have an advantage.

But even as I was cooking our burgers, I was thinking about how much I just liked hanging around my Dad while he did this. He would be watching, and hoping, talking about his day or asking about mine. He was always curious about my day, my friends and usually had a funny story to accompany the tales from the day. He often reflected on his youth.

And now I delight in having my grandchildren asking about what things were like “when I was young”. It’s quite the discussion. Imagine a time when there was no internet!!

I think that the common theme is that being together, fathers, sons, grandchildren, with some common even minor chore is a delight. It gives us time to talk, to be conscious of each other, to set aside the distractions of the day and to hear one another. And that’s how we learn to appreciate each other.