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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Foot In The Door
Nearly every Sunday for a decade, our younger son, the lone extrovert in a family of introverts, came into worship after Sunday school with one friend or another in tow, asking if he could come over after church. Has your friend asked his parents? No? Then we’ll make a plan for another time. End of …
The Sun Is Setting
Daylight lasts much longer this month and thank heavens for a few extra hours to enjoy God’s creation, but once the sun goes down, it becomes instantly cooler. I prefer this early evening light and landscape to early mornings, always have. Watching the sun drop behind the tree line, veiled by clouds, is the most …
Refreshments
Summer has arrived with its ceaseless stream of day camps and vacation Bible schools. We participated as a family during all the years my children were at home. I volunteered in their groups or classes and when they were old enough, they became volunteers as well. All three were good with children. Two were excellent …
A Fitting Reply 