"Papa?"

"Yes, baby?"

"Can I borrow the keys to the death star?"

"What's the death star?"

"Mama's car."

"Death star, huh? I don't know; do you have a license?"

"Yes, I have an inter-galactic drivers license."

"Oh, yeah? That sounds impressive! Can I see it?"

"No, pa. It's indivisible."

"You mean 'invisible.'

"That too."

My four-year-old grandson, Brendan, didn't get to borrow the car like he wanted. Sadly, I explained that putting the booster seat behind the wheel might let him see out the windshield, but it wouldn't allow him to reach the pedals. He'd have to find another way to see Phoebe, his girlfriend.

Conversations like this are among my favorite things in the world. I love the innocence and imagination of children, and I've spent many happy hours with my grandson reading, playing games, and just talking with him. My father taught me long ago that time was the ultimate gift from a father to a son, or a grandson. He used to say, "You can buy a kid everything in the world, but all they really want is to feel loved and to be paid attention to." He was a believer in the face-to-face, heart to heart talk, in truly listening to what his son was saying and providing honest answers.

Among my most cherished memories of my father are the times we simply sat and talked together. My dad told me about my grandfather Clarence who died long before I was born. He told funny stories about my aunts and uncles, and if I listened closely there was a lesson in most of dad's stories. He never stopped trying to teach me, and to his credit I never really stopped listening to him, even when I was a hardheaded, wild-eyed teenager.

A lot of people remember special toys or their first dog or cat from childhood. What I remember, what I treasure, is the warmth of my parents' home; the love of two people that had been together for many years and still appreciated each other; my father's gentle laughter at something my mom would say, the glances they shared that said more than words, the simple joy of loving each other every day, good and bad. They set an example for me.