As I formatted the week's Grilled Grandma feature, I realized I've grilled many a grandma with very similar names. Specifically, I've featured a Janet, a Jeanie, a Jeanne, and a Jeannie, and now I'd like to introduce you all to Grilled Grandma: Janie!

Janie, like the grandmas before her -- those with similar names plus all the others -- provides insight on the grandparenting experience. But one thing Janie said resonates especially deep with me. In response to my question of how often she sees her grandchildren, Janie said this:

Three of my grandkids live in Tennessee (I am in Oklahoma). That is a distance of approximately 700 miles yet despite that distance last year I was able to see them a total of 9 times. Before they moved (2 years ago) I was only a mere 20 minutes from them. I was blessed with watching them often while their momma worked. It has been an adjustment not being as close to the new grandson. My step-daughter lives much closer so we anticipate seeing them often.

Her response made me consider the fact that although Bubby lives 815 miles away (and Birdy will soon be joining him there), it's all I've known as a grandma — I've always been a long-distance grandma. It seems to me that living close to grandkids then having them move away would be even more heartbreaking than having them far away to begin with. So, in an odd sense, I feel relatively blessed that I've been a long-distance grandma from day one and never had to endure the pain of waving goodbye to my babies as they headed out for a home far away.

But Janie, like most long-distance grandmas, works hard at making the best of it. She's been fortunate in the number of visits with her grandchildren and the relationship she maintains with them. We are fortunate in hearing her stories and advice in Grilled Grandma: Janie. So go ahead, read it. After reading her grilling, I urge you to check out Janie's blog. I love her taste in music and the fact she recently featured an Incubus video on her site. This grandma's rockin'!

Today's question:

What song is playing in your head today?