“I’m gonna win this time!” my dad said as I entered my home.

I walked into the kitchen and found him and my 6-year-old granddaughter Adeline about to begin another game of Don’t Break the Ice as my mom looked on.

Earlier that morning, my parents had offered to bring Adeline to lunch while I was at the Rotary Club meeting.

She declined and asked that they come over to play her favorite games.

Adeline’s top game choice is Guess Who, which her Aunt Monique personalized with photos of the females in our family as a surprise for a recent Girls’ Night.

This makes the game challenging because so many of us look alike.

Adeline’s second favorite game is Don’t Break the Ice, the Frozen edition.

I wasn’t surprised to find the trio still playing games when I walked in, nor was I shocked by Adeline’s competitive intensity. What I didn’t expect was her narration of the events.

“I have to talk loudly,” she said to my mom.

“Why?”

“Paw Paw can’t hear, and you don’t understand how to play Guess Who.”

She picked up her plastic mallet, pounded away at another plastic block of ice and groaned when Princess Anna and Olaf fell.

“Wait,” she said before my dad could claim victory, “the winner of this game is the one who knocks out the most ice cubes. Count your cubes.”

And by her new rules, Adeline won. My parents stood up to leave and she hurried to fill plastic bags with candy for them to take home.

As a mere observer to this sweet slice of life. I breathed it all in and sealed the memory with a prayer of thanksgiving.

Although I didn’t participate in the games, I felt like the winner.

Ronny Michel may be reached at rmichel@rtconline.com.