Birthday Girl!

 

From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb.  I will ever praise you. ~Psalm 41:6

While granddaughters Virginia and Alexandra have birthdays two days and five years apart in July, Savannah stands on her own with an April 27th celebration.  We can't be there, of course, to share in Savannah's special day, but daughter, Sarah, sends some sweet photos of the birthday girl opening her gifts.

The collection of stuffed unicorns we send are a huge hit!  I'm sure you all recall that Savannah is enamored by these mythical creatures.

We also send Savannah a musical jewelry box, something she asks for, and she is delighted with it, and the little ballerina that spins around inside.

The third gift we send to Savannah, knowing she's a budding writer, is a diary.

You can't see the front, but rest assured it is adorned with a unicorn.  What else?

I don't know who gave her this make-up kit for little girls, but I'll bet dollars to donuts it's from daddy John's parents.

Oh, what a mess this is sure to make, but the fun will far outweigh that.  Savannah's sisters will enjoy playing with it, too.

I still have to pinch myself when I realize our little Savannah has turned seven.  It just doesn't seem possible!  I'm sure I stand with many grandparents reading this who are astonished by how fast time flies when it comes to the grands growing up.

But no matter where they are in their life stages, our grandchildren can always be taught how much God loves them, how they can rely on Him for all their needs, and daily give Him thanks and praise.

Amen!

I Call

 

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. ~1 John 5:14

I call

You hear

I fear

You answer

I worry

You calm

I ask

You solve

I pray

Without words

You respond 

With love

And grace

Words descend

To heart

Renewed

Thank you, Lord

Your will be done

Amen!

"Gimme a Head with Hair!"

 

So, he told her everything.  "No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazirite dedicated to God from my mother's womb.  If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man." ~Judges 16:17

The photo you see of me above documents how long my hair has grown since January of 2020.  Covid worries have kept me far, far away from the hair salon, that's for sure!  Even though I'm fully vaccinated, I've made some serious decisions about the future of the hair I always took too much pride in by highlighting and having it trimmed four times a year.

My natural look, given to me by God, that has emerged over this year, is more than enough.  But it took me going through this period of isolation to receive and accept the revelation.  The Lord has stripped me of my vanity and flushed it down the drain.  Oh, how grateful I am for that!  I don't need another roadblock on the path to His Kingdom.

My husband, Danny, orders official hair-cutting scissors and beautician's comb months ago.  I'm reluctant, at first, to let him have at it, so to speak.  

But this past week, knowing he's studied many a video on YouTube on how to trim hair, I decide it's time to grant permission.  And I'm not disappointed in the least by the outcome.

All the dead ends are gone, and my hair, naturally thin and fine, is showing more of a healthy body and sheen than I could have hoped for.

Now, don't get me wrong.  I will sorely miss my dear friend and hairdresser, Donna, but my hopes and prayers are that I can treat her to lunch or coffee in the near future, just to stay in touch and enjoy her company.  I certainly won't waste her time with fussing over my hair!

And the money saved by not visiting a salon?  More to give to my church and select charitable organizations!  Or, a gift out of the blue for the grands.

God desires nothing more than for us to look in the mirror and see ourselves as nothing less than His children.  The gray in my hair makes no difference to Him.

If that's the case, then it needs to make no difference to me.

Amen!

Different Gifts, Same Spirit

 

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ~1 Corinthians 12:4

Days spent with our family over the spring break give us all wonderful insights into the gifts and talents our grandchildren are displaying and developing.  By the photo above, you can certainly tell that cheese pizza, homemade by Papa, is a big hit with both Savannah and Alexandra, and that Papa's cooking talents are roundly appreciated!  These two are only 15 months apart in age, so in their world, there has never been a day without the other one being a part of it.  It's no wonder, then, that when Savannah announces she wants to write a story, Alexandra doesn't wish to be left behind.

Alexandra confides in me that she can't yet read, or read well enough, but she wants to try; her mom is happy to coach her. 

My daughter, Sarah, tells me that Savannah is reading and comprehending words far beyond what's expected at a first-grade level.  Indeed, she is gifted in this arena, and she isn't shy about sharing her skill with us.  Savannah reads us Danny and the Dinosaur without one flub, unless you count the now politically incorrect words "Indians" and "Eskimos."

After all, she is NOT being taught those words in school, but tries her best to sound them out, and recalls them when reading the story a second time.

So, this Gammie isn't surprised by Savannah's story writing skills, but I'm still wowed by them.  And I'm encouraged by Alexandra's determination not to be left behind.

Savannah's story:  There was a girl taking a walk.  The girl found a poor kitty cat.  The girl took it home.  It was bleeding.  The girl put a bandage on and the kitty cat had a home forever.  The End

Alexandra's story:  A monster ran away because he wanted to eat a person.

I can recall writing stories from an early age, but not quite as young as these two grands.  I pray God has bestowed that same gift of story-telling, with which He gifted me, upon my granddaughters, to bless and enrich them as their lives unfold.

Amen!

Praying and Playing

 

(Virginia with wet hair after her shower and shampoo!)

Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath, he taught the people. ~Luke 4:31

Jesus gives us the perfect example of what it means to be a good teacher.  His expertise may have come directly from His Father in heaven, to enlighten us as to how to love God and our neighbor, but we are all granted special talents, abilities and gifts through the Holy Spirit that we can pass on to others in this world.  My husband, Danny, gets that perfect opportunity while Sarah, John and the grands are visiting.

Granddaughter, Virginia, expresses an avid interest in learning how to play backgammon.  Her ever-patient Papa is the best qualified to teach her the game, just as he taught me.  Virginia listens attentively and is soon grasping the basics of backgammon with ease.  It's not difficult to initially learn to play, but the nuances come only with practice.

In order for Virginia to hone her skills, Danny takes the time to teach the game to Sarah and John, too.  They are hooked immediately!  Needless to say, many an afternoon is spent with rounds of backgammon, and I so enjoy watching the progress being made.

We have a travel board that we give them as a parting gift wo they can continue to play at home. 

While Savannah and Alexandra are too young yet to learn backgammon, they get in on the action by being official dice rollers.  How cute is that?

All of us are familiar with the tried and true adage:  The family that prays together stays together.  But I'd like to suggest a twist:  The family that plays together stays together.

More praying and more playing help us to live life to the fullest!

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. ~John 10:10

Amen!

Easter Joy!

 

Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children. ~Proverbs 17:6

Oh, what an amazing visit we enjoy last week with daughter, Sarah, son-in-love, John, and the three grands - Virginia, Savannah and Alexandra!  As there isn't room to allow all of them to stay at our house, we secure a beautiful hotel room nearby; Virginia, however, spends every night with us, just like in the "old" days.  Parents and sisters come by each day to hang out together.

There are so many fun things we do during this time, but Easter is one of the highlights.  See the photo above?  That's Virginia getting ready to help the Easter bunny hide eggs for her siblings.  She informs us on no uncertain terms, that she is too old to go on egg hunts anymore.  Such a bittersweet statement to hear!

When the rest of the family arrives, it's time for the egg hunt to begin!

Both Savannah and Alexandra relish the big hauls in their baskets.  How surprised they are to open the plastic eggs and find coins instead of candy.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg for our Easter festivities.  The girls open gifts from their mom and dad.  What treasures!

Last, but not least, they open the gifts from Gammie and Papa.

Did any of you guess as to which T-shirt would go to each girl?

That's right!  Virginia loves anything space and everything cats, Savannah is enamored by unicorns and little Alexandra envisions herself as a super hero, so she got the Captain Marvel tee.

I'd venture to say that the adults bring as much joy to them at Eastertide as they bring to us!

May we all continue to celebrate our risen Lord!

Amen!

The Quilt of Life

 

How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity. ~Psalm 133:1

Voices rage

Against what?

Mirage, sad

Misconceptions

Deceit pushing

Pulling, rending

Until fabric

Unravels

We choose to weave

Again, together

Threads of life

Redeemed forever

Stiches firmly

Sewed and mended

By God's hand

Eternal grace

The quilt of life

Amen!

I know most of you were expecting a post about the recent visit from our kids and grandkids, but as they just left for home, I did not have time to do them justice here on Friday.  I will write about them for Tuesday's blog.  That's a promise!  Blessings!