A Heavenly Country
I've been in Florida with the kids for a while now. I've loved every minute of it, as I always do when I visit. I soak up good time with my daughter and son-in-law, not to mention the sound of little voices saying my name, sloppy kisses, bedtime stories, and the latest news from an early childhood perspective. And now I get to add the delicious stuff of newborns to the list. Sadly, though, it requires being away from my own home, my real, everyday life, my other daughter, and the company and arms of my man. I go through this struggle in my heart every single visit: loving where I am, but longing for home. Oh, how I wish we were all in one place! It seems this is a struggle for us...
So We Can Laugh
Lilli is usually a really good sleeper. She's quiet and doesn't move around a lot in her sleep. I know this because I share a room with her when I come to visit, she in her twin bed, and I in her sister's (when she's enjoying her time with her dad) across the room. Last night, however, was a bit different. First of all, she couldn't go to sleep. We began about 8:30, after a later nap than usual, and it was 10:30 before she finally gave up. Then, a couple of hours later, she started crying in her sleep. I got up and realized that she was still really asleep, but rigid, and obviously terrified. I got her awake enough to snap out of whatever was chasing her in the foggy recesses of her...
Hold On
I've been making a study of the human hand, lately. It's amazing to see it in its newest form, only days old, complete with nails and knuckles and finger prints. In its very first moments outside the womb, it can already grip with surprising strength, already seeming to know it needs to touch things...it needs to have something to hold onto. I think of the hands in my life that have loved me, and what they've conveyed through their touch. My mother's have comforted and consoled, and my father's have provided and guided. My grandfather's played and my grandmother's cherished. My husband's have done, and continue to do, all of the above, in addition to holding on through thick and...
Finding the Good
I had a wonderful dinner last night with a precious friend. We try to at least grab a coffee together whenever I'm in town, so it was a special treat to have a leisurely dinner and really catch up. She's been in ministry to women for a lot of years, and her words, both written and spoken, have been used by God to bring about healing to more than any of us can count. However, she's had some pretty crazy, and sometimes extreme, ups and downs over the last few years. It's been quite a season. Since it had been almost a year since we'd last sat together, I listened as she told me some of the most recent goings on, and marveled at some of the body blows of change that had occurred....
Sincerely Yours
To her parents' credit, my little grandgirl is very polite. Part of it is really good teaching, but, in her case, I think a good part of it is just her nature. That kid has been saying thank you regularly, and appropriately, since she was very, very tiny. She seems to get what it means, rather than just repeating it back as rote, and more, she's completely sincere most every time she says it. Last night we were reading a stack of "two" books (which typically equals about five, even though she knows full well how many are two), and one of them was, ironically, a counting book. After she successfully counted eight bunnies on the page, I said, "good job!" She turned, looked me straight...