A year ago, we welcomed our first grandchild to the family. Watching that little button grow has been a true joy. (If you prefer video, scroll to the bottom of this post.)

For James and I however, we feel very far away… half a country in fact. As my daughter and her family live on the west coast and we live on the prairies across this huge country, Canada.

So, there’s a few things I do to make it feel like we are closer to Theo.

• I read stories to him over video call. Theo loves stories and this is a great way for him to see our faces and hear our voices.
• I made a commitment to visit every three to four months. I use standby flights to keep the costs down and it has worked with few issues so far. Plus, they have visited in our direction as well.
• I have crocheted some outfits and stuffies for him, which even though that doesn’t have us in direct contact, I feel closer to him because I’m thinking about him all while creating. Although I do keep these projects down to just a few, otherwise we can imagine how much clutter this could create in their home.
• I spontaneously ask for pictures from my daughter with “what’s he doing right now?” And she sends some hilarious photos because you never know what they’re up to.

Accepting that we aren’t close enough to see him often is our reality. It’s important to me that we do what we can, so our voices and faces stay familiar to him over time. I can appreciate the technology we have available that makes this possible.

If you are connecting long distance with a loved one, what sorts of things do you do to build relationship?