Live the Lesson

​I pulled into the driveway the other day with both granddaughters in the back of the car in their booster​seats. I got out, opened ​one back door as I walked past, carried a few things to the ​house, unlocked and opened the house door, followed a few moments later by the 6 year old. Then ​I ​heard angry hollering and wailing coming from the car​ so I a​sked her what​ was​ wrong with her sister. She said, “I don't know, she won't come out.” So I walked back there to see the 4 year old sitting firmly on her seat.  She had unbuckled the seat belt but was refusing to budge and was hollering at full volume.  “What's up, child? What's wrong?” ​ Her answer was,​  “I don't want my sister to open my door, I want you to!”  But then, did she come out when I coaxed her? No, wouldn't move!  Finally I left her sitting there, whining, with the car door wide open and walked around to the other side. I opened that door to retrieve a book bag, ​at which moment that crazy child scooted across and scampered out in front of me quick ​as a bunny with a grin on her face!

Now tell me, what's that all about!!??  ​Well, I know there's always a lesson.  (God knows that some people even of a certain age still have lessons to learn therefore He gave me grandchildren!). So I thought about it a while (lots of thinking time in the wee hours of the night) and here's what I believe I was meant to learn. 

Shepherds - West Coast Style

As often happens, one of my granddaughters got me to thinking. This time it was the four year old.

It started because I gave her a Christmas sticker book. There was a page showing a stable and another page showing a field, both at nighttime with stars in the sky. There were stickers representing the main characters on the night Baby Jesus was born.  

Un-tired!

     Earlier this week I spent the day in the company of my granddaughters, ages 3 and 5. They had been twirling and plie-ing at dance camp all morning where I picked them up (complicated by an hour's lag between their finishing times). Then a quick stop for a happy meal to eat in the car. We then stopped by and picked up grandpa and were off to the outdoor old-fashioned Burnaby Village Museum.  We walked through and looked in the buildings exclaiming over this and that – the one room schoolhouse, the general store, barbershop, etc - we did the scavenger hunt, and had an ice cream break in the café. This was followed by a ride on the historic carousel before walking across the little bridge back to the parking lot. We had had a lovely time and were all moving just a bit more slowly than when we arrived.

However, almost immediately the 5 year old said eagerly,

  "What are we going to do now, Grandma?"  

  I said, Taking you home. 

  Her response was a gloomy, "Awww, but I want to go play at your house. And we haven’t even gone to the farmer’s market yet”!

     During the drive home in the car she declared she was tired. No doubt. She'd had a busy day!  However, I figured in an hour she'd be rested and rarin’ to go again. 

     Me?  not so much!

     The same day I read the following by C.S. Lewis which sums up exactly how I feel quite often—

... I am frantically busy: and though I get no more tired now than I did when I was younger, I take much longer to get un-tired afterwards.

(From The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis, Volume III
Compiled in Yours, Jack)

Happiest Place

I think I had forgotten how much fun it is to act like a kid!  

We just spent a few days with some of our family including little granddaughters in Disneyland and California Adventure Park!  For a few days, real life hardly existed.  We tried out pretty much all of the rides and attractions, enjoyed the parades, and we cheered and jeered as we watched live performances.  It was marvellous!

But – knowing me – I spent time reflecting somewhat on the big entertainment theme.  Shouldn’t the money have been spent feeding or housing the poor instead of building bigger, better and more technological rides?  Shouldn’t I have donated to a worthy cause - charity or church - the amount of hard earned cash I  spent on the tickets, not to mention the hotel and airfare? Isn’t the whole thing crass, degenerate, carnal – a monument to the gods of entertainment?

On the other hand, I can see it as a venue to bring families together to play together.   A tribute to the creativity and the abilities God placed within us. I don't believe God is dour - think of some of the imagery in the Psalms - the beauty and creativity in nature - "gladness" is mentioned quite often in scripture.  And I am very grateful to God for the resources He has blessed us with so that we could go.

It is a great place to shed the cares of life, just for a little while - whoop with glee roaring down the roller coaster – grin riding along with a child on Dumbo the flying elephant -- watch with pride as the 2 little girls dressed in their princess best eagerly await a lunch event with real live princesses – scream while getting splashed at the end of a ride – share a bag of popcorn or cotton candy – recall going to similar places with friends and family years before – enjoy retelling the Disney and old folk stories – talk about watching the more recent movies that inspired the theme attraction…

We had such fun!  Nobody had to eat their vegetables or go to work!  We trooped around with no particular plan in mind and our only concern was to fit in as much as we could. My highlight was watching the little girls’ beaming faces on the rides and as they met Mickey, Minnie and all the other characters!  We’ll talk about the experience and enjoy the photos for years to come!  

For a few days – for us – it was the happiest place on earth!! 

CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS

This is an interesting month. One of my loved ones turns 3 and another turns 102 and the sweet thing is they adore each other and they're both so good natured.   It certainly gives food for thought about life, death, generations and changes. I'm watching the little one explore the beginning of life and I'm watching the older one fend off the end of life. All the rest of us are, obviously, somewhere in between.  

I've tried and tried to figure out something profound to say about this process of aging - many pundits far more capable than me have written extensively. But now that I'm of a certain age, it seems that I should have arrived at something to say on the subject. All I can think of to say is that I see it proceed one day at a time. We experience being 3 when we're 3, 65 when we're 65, and when we get over 100 we still aren't able to answer the question, 'what does it feel like to be your age?'  I've said it, probably you've said it - I'm 50...65...75 but I only feel 19...29...30. My mom once said she felt 19 but when she looked at her hands, she could see that they were getting old. 

"Life and time are ghosted creatures for us all.  They belong to us - and are not ours at the same time."  The Gift of Years by Joan Chittister.

All of us observe birth and death over and over, but only get to experience them each once as allotted by God's heavenly plan.  Every breath, every day, is part of the mystery of being alive!  

The great thing about this month is the opportunity to enjoy 
two birthday parties.

I'm a-think'n I would be wise to just party and enjoy the mystery!

...and Happy Birthday to any of my readers who are celebrating in October!

Very Grand Birthday Party

It'll soon be my granddaughter's 3rd birthday.  She's been putting together her guest list:  Barbie, Cinderella, Aurora, Monsters Inc, Dora, Caillou, Madeline, Minnie Mouse and certainly Sophia the First.  If you don't recognize any of the above, you haven't spent enough time around little girls lately!

Before my recent birthday, the same little girl asked me who I wanted to invite to my party.  That got me thinking and I've decided it would be large and very grand.

Reflecting upon what passes for normal

Ta! Da! I am ushering myself into the blogosphere!

With some trepidation and lots of excitement!

Welcome to my blog. Thanks for stopping by. Please come back often.

In my 'what passes for normal' life, I have lots to reflect upon - things of yesterday, tomorrow, not to mention today.