Every three months, I package my son Jacob’s medications into two daily dose packs, ninety days, one hundred eighty doses, three tablets of one variety and two and a half of another. It’s a labor of love but at the same time it’s comforting for me as his mother. I’m sure I could pay someone …
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 …
Stones Into Bread
Yummy! Soup! My granddaughter, Amelia, loves to be outside. It doesn’t matter what we do, she just enjoys the outdoors. Recently when I was with her at her house, we decided to pick up rocks from the backyard in an area where the grass simply won’t grow. Little wonder as we unearthed chunks of asphalt …
Indebted To Whom?
https://www.christianbook.com/loved-the-lords-prayer/sally-lloyd-jones/9780310757610/pd/757610 Da! Dada! Daddy! Every baby’s first words. Both parents and grandparents wait for it, hoping to be first, but God in His providence puts daddies first. When momma tells him that baby can say it, there’s always disbelief, but the first time those precious sounds fall on his ears, his chest puffs and a …
Repurposing Rejection
One of my favorite local restaurants is closing soon so I gave myself permission to enjoy it more than once this week. I shared a meal with my daughter and granddaughter on Wednesday while the news media was on site gathering the community’s response to the closing announcement. I invited them to join me again …
Do What Must Be Done
“”Where have you been?” Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant. “We were looking for the donkeys,” Saul replied, “but we couldn’t find them. So we went to Samuel to ask him where they were.” “Oh? And what did he say?” his uncle asked. “He told us that the donkeys had already been found,” Saul …
Uncomfortable Silence
Days between the grandchildren’s visits last longer than other days, I’m sure of it. The hours pass slowly and the silence is much more distracting than their chatter. I remember the early days of parenting when my husband would come home from work and make his way around to asking how I stood the constant …
Pockets Filled With Holes
If Jacob was gifted cash for his birthday, he knew what he wanted before he ever reached the store. If he received a gift card, he was usually bargaining with his dad before the party was over, ready to trade it for cash because he already had the money spent. As my dad said of …
Set An Example
My grandson is almost two and he finally has words, in fact he has new words every single day! He parrots two and three words at a time in conversation with the adults in the room precisely as if he understands every word and is participating in the dialog. He even uses the words in …
Forgetfulness
Only a few months ago, almost two year old Thomas could be distracted from something simply by moving on to something else. As his vocabulary grows, his memory expands to include what you said he could do that you hoped he’d forget. We can go outside after we finish breakfast is quite literal for him. …
A Fitting Reply 