Lotsa Love

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Margaret

Tomorrow Louisa plans to wash my windows, and for some of them she’ll need a grease solvent and a scraper. After 9 pairs of pudgy hands were here looking out of them for a couple of weeks (and we know children look with their hands), the windows are needy indeed.

My house wears other evidences of recent youthful visitors, too: Crayons under the table, artwork covering the fridge, toddler toys in the kitchen cabinets, and Cheerios on the children’s bookshelf.

Over the weekend I found another clue, this one a treasure. One of the children had drawn a beautiful rainbow heart and taped it to a wall in the basement. Whoever it was had had the foresight to hang it high enough to be out of range of destructive small fry.

After a few text inquiries, I learned the artist was Skylar, age 6, who left behind a little love for her Grandma Midgee. And just in case anyone wondered, she gave her work a title: “LOVE.”

Actually, she titled it “LOVE-period” as if to say, “LOVE is all there is; LOVE is where it’s at; LOVE is it.”

Skylar’s gift was truly thoughtful, because it’s something everybody wants: LOVE-period. I thought about that for a long time, trying to assess if I do as well as Skylar. When I depart, whether I drive to another state, fly to another country, or travel to heaven, have I left enough LOVE-period behind?

Easier than leaving LOVE-period is to leave tangibles that can be appreciated by the five senses, gifts that can be seen, sniffed, tasted, handled, or heard. Giving LOVE-period takes more effort, but then again it’s more meaningful and lasts longer.

Psychologists tell us every human being is born with a need to be loved. God created us that way and didn’t just plant that desire and leave us without a way to meet it. He satisfied it in a unique way.

God himself is love (1 John 4:8) and because this is true, he’s qualified to say, “I offer myself to you as your loving Father, someone who can and does love you more than any other. My love isn’t related to your behavior, doesn’t diminish over time, and knows no limits. Love is the definition of who I am. Everything I do comes out of the fact that I am Love. I am LOVE-period. And I can fully satisfy your need to be loved.”

This good news is for all of us.

As for Skylar’s rainbow heart, I’m planning to leave it on my basement wall as long as the tape sticks. And when it falls, I’ll frame it and hang it in the living room, because really, love is all that matters. LOVE-period.

Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God. Romans 8:39

Praising and Praying with Mary

Praise the Lord they found a good vein today. The infusion went fine, though I’m extra tired and have mild nausea.
Please pray that my declining vision will improve after chemo ends, as they say it will.

It’s what it is.

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Margaret

My granddaughter Emerald is almost two years old and is, like most little ones her age, learning to talk. This is an especially delightful time as those of us listening can tell her little mind is working hard to communicate. One of Emerald’s charming inclinations is to substitute “sh” for “s” :

balls are “ball-sh”
boots are “boo-sh”
salt is “shawlt”
more is “mo-sh”
boogers (she just had a cold) are “booger-sh”

She also practices language by trying to repeat what we say, so she says, “I hep you!” but really means, “I need your help!”

Little by little a toddler adds to her vocabulary and usage by listening to those around her and matching up words with tone of voice, simultaneous action, verbal pitch, and even accompanying moods. Little ones are keen observers of the world around them, and they all have a passionate desire to “be like us.”

A couple of weeks ago our son Hans and his family visited from England. His wife and four young children all have beautiful British accents, and I watched Emerald watching them. Four-year-old Thomas loved approaching her, bending to her level, cupping his hands around her face and saying, “Hello!” With his sweet accent it came out, “Heh-lau.” Within one day, Emerald was approaching others saying, “Heh-lau” in a perfect mimic.

I remember belonging to a diet group 20 years ago when one of the ladies asked to speak to the group. With tears she told the tale of her three-year-old’s penchant for swearing, listing the “blue” words he liberally used in their home, coupled with lots of anger. “I just can’t stop him!” she wailed. “It’s awful!”

Of course he wasn’t using any words he hadn’t first heard, and that woman’s best move would have been to find out (and hopefully change) what her son was hearing.

All of us take on the characteristics of whomever we hang with, not just linguistically but in other respects, too. That makes choosing a spouse, for example, a heavy-weight decision, and it’s the reason most parents safeguard their children with diligence. Most of all, though, we should each set a guard in front of ourselves.

All of us should want to be careful how we act, what we say, and where we go, because like it or not, we’re being watched. Most importantly, God is watching. So if we consistently work to make choices that please him, he will pour out blessing in abundance, on us and on those watching. And that includes little children who want to “be just like us.”

Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:20

Praising and Praying with Mary

Thanks for praying about my second-to-last chemo tomorrow. Pray they’ll find a good vein without a problem. (My arms are rebelling.)
Pray against flu-like symptoms (fever and achiness) that started after last week’s infusion.

Loosening Our Grip

Posted on October 2, 2014 by Margaret

Back in July when I learned my family of 20 might all be in the same place at the same time come September, I did a little happy dance. This would be a treat we rarely get to have, mostly because 6 of us live in England and 6 in Florida.

As the visit approached, we were especially eager since the 9 young cousins were finally old enough to begin engaging in ways that wouldn’t fade by the time they gathered again:

L to R: Skylar (6) holding Isaac (7 months), Nicholas (5) holding Andrew (15 months), Micah (4), Evelyn (4), Thomas (4), Autumn (2), Emerald ( 23 months).

One thing high on my list of priorities was to get a picture of all 20 of us together, and with a camera inside every phone, I figured that wasn’t asking too much. I even talked to Mary about it. “Hey,” she said. “Your family is already on Stina’s list for the wedding photographer, so it’ll be easy!”

My heart soared.

That, however, was when God entered the conversation, prompting me to think along other lines. “I want you to surrender that picture,” he said. “Let go of that goal.”

“Why?” I said. “It’s coming together effortlessly!”

He gave no reason, but my strong sense was that I should follow his instructions. When I shared with Mary she said, “Oh don’t worry. It’ll get done. You’ll see.”

Sometimes God does this kind of thing though. He waits till we really, REALLY want something badly, then asks us to hand it over to him for what appears to be no good reason.

A picture is a small thing compared to many other things (or people) we could long for, but in my heart I really wanted it. Nevertheless, I began talking myself down. “So, what’s the worst thing that will happen if you don’t get the picture? It won’t be the end of the world, will it? Just do what God wants. If it doesn’t happen, at least you will have been prepared.”

And so, after a good deal of mental haranguing, I gave it up…. just as the stomach flu arrived. On the wedding day, Stina’s photographer did line us up for a picture, but it was less than satisfying, since 2 were home sick. But I heard God whisper, “Being prepared made it easier, didn’t it?” As always, he was right.

The next day, Mary and Bervin invited everyone to return to the wedding site for brunch and a baseball game. Even the bride and groom were there, and we were all enjoying the day when someone said, “Hey, Nymans. How ‘bout a family photo, since you’re all here today?”

And isn’t that just like God? When we surrender something we badly want, he often gives it right back to us.