Monthly Archives: September 2012

Team Gran, England

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Last week the other grandmother of my/our three British grands and I conducted our 4th annual “Team Gran” day together. We marveled at the progress of our shared little ones since we were last together with them, and delighted in their company for a day while enjoying a rich friendship with each other. The 4000 miles between our two homes always seem to melt away at these rare but meaningful get-togethers, and as co-grandmas we have no trouble picking up where we left off many months before.

So on Friday, Sarah (“Dandy”) and I (“Mee Mee”) left Mummy-Katy behind and piled into Sarah’s car for a day of frolicking with Nicholas, Evelyn, and Thomas. Our adventure was slightly complicated by a need to stay on task with toilet training the 2 year olds, but we managed 10 hours with only 2 accidents, not bad for a couple of women whose toilet training skills had rusted-out decades before.

The first stop on our adventure was the home of Sarah’s friend Alison, who lives in a charming 200 year old stone cottage surrounded by rolling hills, grazing sheep, a river, and a waterfall. We hiked through a lush pasture, stepping around sheep poo-poo, telling the children not to obsess about the piles, since they weren’t as bad as people-poo-poo.

But then, of course, we had to promptly deal with people-poo-poo, pursuing potty training every 15 minutes. Thomas and Evelyn knew no shame at our open-air stops and gladly would have told passers-by about their latest productions, had anyone asked.

Later at Dandy’s house, between moments of focus on bodily functions, she and I played with the children non-stop: storytelling and reading, cars and trucks, hide and seek, soldiers and dollies. We threw ourselves into it all, singing endless songs, serving and cleaning up meals, working through bath time, and then, much to our pleasure, ending up in Sarah’s back yard “Peace and Quiet Garden.”

At the end of the day, we concluded that playing is hard work!

But the Lord energized us to our undertaking, and isn’t that the way it always is? God presents something to us that he’d like us to do, and we often respond with objections, because we feel unprepared, unequipped, or unenthusiastic. But if we’re willing to cooperate with whatever he’s asked, we find that before we begin, he has somehow gotten us prepared, equipped, and excited.

So we plow ahead and do the best we can, and in God’s hands, that’s always good enough. As a matter of fact, even our meager efforts result in something extraordinary when placed in his able care.

Though our “Team Gran” day was jam-packed with action, we did end up in a place of “Peace and Quiet” …albeit with our potties. And a Team Gran day with “Dandy” turned out to be fine and dandy indeed.

“God… will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.” (2 Corinthians 9:10)

Potty Party

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Who knew potty training could be fun? I have only fuzzy memories of training our 7 but got a fresh chance to participate this week. Before I came to the UK, my daughter-in-law Katy asked me whether or not I’d be up for co-potty-training when I got there. By “co” I mean two of us and two of them. It sounded like a potty party to me, so I signed on.

Katy and my British grands met me at the Manchester airport in northern England: 3 year old Nicholas and 2 year old twins, Thomas and Evelyn. As we drove toward their home, Katy said, “The twins are wearing their last nappies. I thought we’d jump right in!”

As always, Katy was well prepared. In the kitchen were two newly-purchased blue and pink potties, and a big box of supplies: wipes, baggies, disinfectant sprays for both tile and carpet, TP, a timer, stacks of dry undies, and clean trousers. My part was to bring the rewards from America: tiny Smarties candies.

Katy explained the process to Evelyn and Thomas while I listened in, and we handed them pairs of dry undies and put them on their potties for a trial run. It ended in a piece of candy for Thomas and tears for Evelyn who “couldn’t make it come.” But when the timer buzzed every 15 minutes and Katy sang out, “Who wants to earn another sweetie?” it didn’t take long for them to run for the potties.

As they produced appropriately, we applauded and cheered enthusiastically. By day six we were 90% and even dry after naps. Running errands was a challenge with its potty-packing preparations and rapid runs for public bathrooms, but day by day the new habit was established and success became the norm.

After all, bribery works.

Most of us need incentives to push through obstacles that stand between us and our goals, and a few perks along the way make it more likely we’ll get there. Nothing’s wrong with rewards for little steps well taken and a job well done.

God often works with us this same way, not with “sweeties” but with sweet blessings as we trudge through tough times. He periodically calls to us just as we called to the twins. “Come on, let’s try again!” He suggests we quash a bad habit or mend a relationship, help a needy friend or say yes to a service opportunity. “If you’ll just try, I’ll cheer you on and be ready with a reward,” he says. Then we can either stop trying, or take him up on his offer.

As for the cheering at our potty party, the twins eventually began tending to their needs on their own. We put away the timer, along with everything else except the candy. Eventually, though, they won’t even need that.

“Anyone who comes to [God] must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

Pat-a-Pat

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“Stop right there, ma’m,” the airport security woman said. “Keep your feet on the markers.” Those lining up behind me ready to pass through the magnetic archway rolled their eyes and sighed, but that didn’t stop her from sliding the gate-ribbon across their path, shutting down the line.

“We have to swab your hands,” she said, snapping on blue rubber-gloves. Then she brushed a small white tab over my hands, front and back.

“Wait here,” she said, walking away with the paper strip. When she returned, she was shaking her head.

“Uh oh,” I said.

“Yup.” Then she motioned to her cohort. “We have an RPD.”

“Follow me,” she said, as airport personnel gathered my carry-on bag, coat, computer, and shoes. When I tried to help, she said, “No. Don’t touch.”

Two women accompanied me into a small room with no windows and closed the door. Both pulled on rubber gloves, and I figured I was in for some excitement, but it turned out to be just a thorough pat-down. “Sensitive areas will be touched only with the backs of my hands,” she said.

“What are you looking for?” I said.

“Chemicals. You’re undergoing a resolution pat-down.” After she was through, she carefully took another paper strip and brushed it all over her gloves, then fed it into a machine resembling a heart monitor with a graph line across its screen.

After studying the results she said, “You’re clear, dear,” and set me free to board my scheduled flight to England. I wanted to ask questions but didn’t want to rock her security-boat, so gathered my things and silently walked away.

Sometimes it’s best to say nothing at all.

Maybe our tendency to say too much is why so many Scriptures deal with our mouths. We read about tongues speaking slander, strife, evil, deceit, lies, and perversion… and those are just for starters.

It also speaks of tongues of gentleness, kindness, singing, righteousness, joy, healing, and praises to God.

Apparently the choice is ours.

Words are important to God. We’re told in the Bible that all the books in the world couldn’t contain the things Jesus did, let alone everything else in other biblical categories. Yet God chose only certain words to include in our Bibles, each one significant.

Human words are important too, since they reveal our opinion of the words God gave us in the first place. If we use words of slander, lies, deceit, or perversion, it’s as if we’re throwing his word-choices back at him in favor of our own. If we believe his words and honor them with obedience, our mouths will speak gentleness, kindness, joy, and righteousness.

Proverbs tells us even a fool might appear wise if she keeps her mouth shut (i.e. me during the RPD), but a higher goal would be to go ahead and talk, but to make sure our words are pleasing to God.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” (Proverbs 18:21)