I’ve had the kids all weekend, while Emmie’s been out of town, and I say “I” because I whisked them away from our house and back to their own when Brody started running fever, followed very quickly by his sister. Kevin is starting a new position this week and I was hoping to spare him whatever bug was rearing it’s ugly head.

Yesterday, while Brody slept, and after laying down herself for a while, Lilli and I played several games of Candy Land, then did some coloring. It was during her work on some butterflies, and mine on a peacock, that I struck up a conversation on what she wanted to be when she grew up.

“So, Lilli, I haven’t asked you this in a long time. What do you think you want to be when you grow up?”

Immediately, and with no hesitation whatsoever…

“Oh, a mermaid, for sure.”

“A mermaid, huh? Wow. That’s awesome. Do you think you’ll grow a tail by then, or are you planning on buying a really nice one?”

“Well, I’m hoping I’ll grow one, because it will help me breathe underwater.”

“I see. Well, if that doesn’t happen, do you have a backup plan?”

“Yes. If I don’t grow a tail, I would like to be a noodle tester.”

“Cool! You mean you want to test noodles before they go for sale at stores?”

“Yes! I LOVE noodles! Especially with chicken parm, so I hope they’ll have that with the noodles when I test them.”

“Maybe you can be in charge of the noodle factory and have someone making chicken parm for testing purposes.”

“Yes! That’s a good idea, Mimmie. That might even be better than being a mermaid!”

Remember the days, my friends, when anything was possible? The days when a little thing like needing gills to breathe underwater wouldn’t stop you from believing you could be a mermaid? Or when thinking completely outside the box (noodle tester??) was as natural as breathing air above the water? Such is the uncluttered brain of a child, not yet jaded by the world and its realities.

We forget sometimes that we still have this ability. We can cast big visions, dream big dreams, think big thoughts completely outside the boxes we create for ourselves, and they can become real, because we have a BIG GOD. With Him in the mix, anything is possible.

ANYTHING.

If you forget this, well, basically all the time, don’t feel bad. You’re not alone. Sometimes we just need a reminder from a kid to remember that we, too, can think big.

Even for us grownups the world can be our noodle, I mean, oyster.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”  ~ Mark 10:27 ESV