Dear Jesus, this day. Dear Jesus, GrannyBob’s birthday. Dear Jesus, baby puppies crying. No more crying. Dear Jesus… the list continues, interrupted by Dear Jesus again and again. If you’ve ever shared bedtime prayers with a child, you know their lists can grow long and often repeating. You want to guide them. You want to …
Clinging To Rags
My granddaughter and I play a game called find the paci. I’ve learned not to wait until bedtime or naptime to make the search. Each time she wakes, before I even lift her out of the crib, I make a big deal of searching for her pacifier. She has usually tossed it aside during her …
No Family History
Three photos exist capturing five generations of my family. The first was taken when I was an infant and includes my mother, her mother, grandmother and great grandmother. The second was taken only two years ago when my grandmother met my first grandson, and the third last year when she met my first granddaughter. My …
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 …
Holding Onto Hope
My granddaughter is a year old and so full of life! Her parents call it energy. She’s a busy bee. She’s rarely ever still. She climbs everything and talks constantly. She and the Great Danes have an understanding. She’s the boss. She keeps up with her two year old cousin. She is so much like …
Creating Division
My grandson unknowingly exposed a quirk of mine as he’s begun to talk, quite possibly one I’ve unwittingly passed on to his mother. His words come full speed now in groups of two or three, repeating everyone and everything. My daughter noticed that he would not say shoes and when she asked him what they …
Arriving At The Destination
My grandson, Thomas, is almost two and he still struggles with car rides. He lives almost two hours away so in order to visit extended family, his parents must drive. His mom has tried everything to ease the trip for him but getting out of the car is really the only thing that helps. He …
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 …
It’s Still Me
Walking into our corporate worship each Sunday is a joy and privilege but especially now as I am greeted with the biggest smile of recognition by my granddaughter, Amelia. She’s sitting with her parents and sometimes she’s already found her Poppy, but when I catch her eye, I know it! There’s no mistaking the joy …
The Final Word
Our Thomas has started saying his own prayers. His momma told me about how he folded his hands like the father and son in his bedtime storybook once she had finished with her prayer and started saying MaMa, DaDa, A (for Amelia) and on through his list of people and things for which he is …
A Fitting Reply 