Amelia ran to meet me as I walked through the front door. She half shouted, “I played my recorder and Jake played his recorder too!” From behind her back she took a blue plastic recorder. Ezra appeared, waving a green recorder and their combined demonstration was shrill and fairly deafening. I looked around for Jake, …
Who Is Your Yes?
“Daddy’s not here,” I told Jake on my way from the kitchen to the laundry room for the third time in half an hour. His head pops up anytime I walk near the garage door between eleven and two. His internal clock keeps trying to push dinner earlier and earlier. “You can wait until at …
Invitation
“What color invitation do you want, Yolly?” asked Amelia from her side of the table. “I like yellow best,” I replied. “We don’t have any yellow ones,” she parried. I’ve come to expect this answer from Amelia when we’re pretending. She’s much like me when her train of thought leaves the station, it’s already heading …
The Lie That Keeps Deceiving
“That’s what you want. Are you sure?” I asked before ordering Amelia’s ice cream. “Because I’m having this one with chocolate, peanut butter, banana, and almonds,” I added, pointing to the picture on the menu. “Ezra is sharing with me. You could share with us,” I offered one last time. “I don’t like chocolate,” she …
Remember Your Roots
“The boys have loved watching the seven and a half minute video you made of us bringing Timothy home from the hospital,” my daughter told me during a recent visit. “Do you have it on your phone, Lolly?” asked Thomas, joining the conversation. We sat down together on the sofa as I opened my Google …
Perishable
I grew up eating trash can omelets, my daddy’s way of cleaning out the refrigerator. We just called them omelets. During college, our late night study group frequented a local diner where I discovered the name on a menu. Somewhat less original, Tupperware included a recipe on their website for “Clean Out-the-Fridge” Veggie Strata – …
Me, Myself & I
The house is quiet today but I am not alone. Ever faithful Jake, our Velcro Dane, haunts my steps, following me from room to room, even to the bathroom. He lumbers to the garage door as I fold laundry, pacing, hoping in vain for an early dinner. I take him out and he chases a …
Misled
My room was dark as midnight before seven. I fought sleep as I lounged across my bed, knees folded to hide the light from my phone screen while I read through my daily Bible reading plan. My four grandchildren slept soundly in their respective places as my daughter, in the adjoining room, brewed us decaf …
Shortsighted
“Timothy, would you like to help Lolly?” I invited. The others were caught up in their own game on a cluster of ride on toys on one side of the room. Timothy stood a little aside, sleepy and frustrated that he had not gotten to the zebra ride on first. In an instant, I was …
Exponentially
What do you get when you inflate one splash pad and add water and two hundred ball pit balls? Happy grandchildren!Thomas, Amelia, Timothy and Ezra enjoyed hours of fun-soaked outdoor play. At one point, Timothy lounged on the edge of the inflated surround mindlessly collecting balls he had been tossing out a moment earlier. When …
A Fitting Reply 