I saw hundreds of posts during the power outages following Helene reminding drivers that to properly navigate malfunctioning traffic lights, follow the rules for a four way stop. I live in a comparatively small city but some of our major intersections where six or eight lanes converge reminded me of playing Frogger on the original …
No Time To Waste
I love my grandchildren and there is nothing I wouldn’t do for them, but one thing is far more important than all the rest. Feeding them nutritious food and making sure they get plenty of rest is incredibly important. Being watchful and keeping them safe from harm is essential. Reading to them, showing them how …
Turn Around
I’m just “ta-prending,” Lolly. My two year old grandson, Thomas, has a vivid imagination. In preparation for the arrival of his baby brother in a few weeks, he is rehearsing all of his favorite things with the stuffed penguin chick that has a recording of Timothy’s heartbeat inside. Just this evening, he put Timothy in …
Transient
My grandson wanted to roast marshmallows over a campfire but we’ve been in a drought. My dad agreed to build the fire when we came to visit, and in God’s perfect timing, it rained the day before and the day of our visit. He added the wood to fuel the fire before we arrived. By …
Coming Home
Three highways become one main street through downtown, then veer off in different directions again across town. As a college student new to the area, my directional skills were a little sketchy. From the front of campus, I turned left and drove straight until I reached the interstate toward home. From the back entrance, a …
Moves and Countermoves
Two has arrived in full force for my daughter and her husband. Their son has discovered his voice and along with it, his autonomy. My husband looked across the table in the restaurant, saying, “Please don’t stand up in your chair. I don’t want you to fall.” His reply? In his sternest voice, “Poppy, don’t …
Comfortably Drifting
In my younger days, from childhood through parenthood, I could stay awake into the wee hours engrossed in a good book. Once I read until dawn, finishing a new installment in a series. As I watched the sun peeking over the horizon, I wondered where the time had gone. Now I tend to fall asleep …
Like a Child
My daughter and my sister are kid magnets. Children single them out in public places as approachable. A little one may come right up and start a conversation or latch onto them unexpectedly, surprising them and the parents or caregivers. It’s definitely how God wired them as they both chose teaching as a vocation, but …
Long Suffering
Though one is ten months younger, both of my grandchildren have hit the tantrum phase hard. Having been given a choice once or twice, their little psyches have begun asserting their own wills quite forcefully in almost every situation. Squeals echo from the almost two year old while the almost one face drops and throws …
What Dominates Your Thoughts?
So much rain! The ground is saturated and oozes with every step. I remember my own hesitation to take my kids outside to play when they were small. Mud doesn’t bother children, just the adults who have to clean their clothes. Whether or not I took them outside depended a lot on the previous day …
A Fitting Reply 