This post is dedicated to Grandparents: those useless (though dearly beloved) people God just keeps around to populate the earth.

Read on. You'll see what I am talking about in one second.

This is an excerpt from a recent conversation with Norah over lunch. It's a good one, so hold onto your seat and swallow your coffee, otherwise you may end up spitting it all over your computer monitor.

Norah- "Old people don't like the cold weather."

Me- "That's not true. Some older people don't mind it."

Norah- "No, none of them really like it."

Me- "Why do you say that?"

Norah- "Well, Grandmom and Grandad Evans moved away because it was 'too cold' and Grandma Karen and Grandpa Herb don't visit when it's winter. And they all live in places where it's warm all the time... Florida and South Carolina. Old people don't like the cold. They're allergic to it."

I try not to laugh out loud.

A long pause... She's thinking.

"Why are they called 'Grandparents' anyway?"

"I don't know."

"I think they should be called 'Extraparents.'"

"Why do you think that?"

"Well, because they are extra. They are like parents, but not really. They don't have any reason to be alive anymore..."

"Norah!" I almost choke on my sandwich.

She snickers a little, but doesn't really skip a beat. "Well, because you and Daddy are already grown up, you know... But, God let's them stay alive anyway because He wants the world to be full of people. He likes people."

I can't help it anymore. I laugh out loud.

A little later, I reminded Norah of how Dwayne's parents take care of Levi, our old dog, and how my parents keep cats. To this, Norah brightened and said, "Oh yeah." She was visibly relieved to realize that her Grandparents weren't as useless as she first thought.