Miss Copycat

Today my granddaughters were over to visit for awhile. Jenna, 4, took out some crayons and a book and laid on the floor of the living room to color. Julia, 2, matched her sister's actions by lying on her stomach with another coloring book and some crayons. Everything Jenna said, Julia said, like an little echo. Jenna asked her to stop copying her, and told me she was tired of it. I tried to commiserate by saying I was tired of repeating everything for Grandpa too, because he doesn't hear very well.

We tell Jenna to be patient with her sister. She won't always be a copy cat. Hopefully, some day the copying will stop and they will be good friends.

I wish the same could be said about their grandpa. I must be patient with him too, but he will never stop asking me to repeat things. At least not in his or my lifetime here on earth. It does seem that I'm expected to have a heartier variety of patience than she does.

But this is obviously how our character grows. Jenna's learning to be patient now, because she will have bigger reasons to have patience in the future. By the time she's my age, she will have the patience to be married to a grandpa of her own.

There's still some justice in the world.

Miss Copycat and Miss Patience

Sister's Birthday

Today is my sister's birthday. In observing the interactions of my two little granddaughters I'm reminded of why my sister and I are so close. Did we play with our dolls like they do? Did I try to boss her around a bit as we had our pretend games like Jenna does? Did she try to copy everything I said or did like Julia does? Did one of us cry when the other fell down and got hurt?

Yes, we not only shared our bed, our toys, our clothes, our food, but we shared our childhoods. You hear a lot about sibling rivalry, but sharing siblings are a power to be reckoned with.

Today I am blessed immeasurably by a sister who's gone way beyond the call of duty many times to help a sister who has had special physical needs. She has been there for me on a physical level, but we have both been there for each other's emotional needs as well.

My brother and I have a special relationship too and we love each other dearly, but gender sometimes gets in the way. Maybe that's why the Lord blessed him doubly with two sisters to fill in the gaps.

Sister and brother, if you read this, just know that I treasure you both and want you to always know that I am there for you, even though many miles are between us. But most of all, God is there for the three of us. We can't outlive or outgrow His love.

200 to Go

165 posts to my blog! Only 200 to go for my goal of 365--a year's worth. My sister kindly requested this number when I first started writing it. It's beginning to seem a whole lot more possible now that this will be accomplished in a pretty timely fashion--in about a year.

Sometimes the goals God chooses for us seem mighty unreachable at first; but if we take the challenge, it's surprising what we can achieve.

I do hope that the reading of this blog has been an encouragement to others who are facing hard times. Even when circumstances in our life are less than desirable, we can see the hand of God reaching out to reveal Himself to us. It's up to us to see His handprint.

Look for Him every day, as I've attempted to do in the evening when I stop and write this blog. I'm blessed by the effort, and I hope my readers are as well.

Building Lasagna

As I "built" my lasagna for supper tonight, it struck me that there are an infinite number of ways to make lasagna, and I have tried alot of them. It's somewhat of a surprise to see how delicious it turns out most of the time. I've come to the conclusion that it must be pretty hard to make a bad lasagna. I have had lasagna that's too soupy or too dry, but those seem to be about the only flaws one can make.

While I pondered this, I remembered a phone conversation with my sister earlier in the day. We were talking about parenting, and how different our adult children's lives can be. Shouldn't they all turn out the same, if they have the same parents? Evidently not. We "build" our children, using different ingredients, in different amounts, and in a different order. Just like lasagna. We can only hope our efforts are rewarded, as they turn into adults. That is our desire and that is how we have planned them to turn out. It's hard to understand how hopes are sometimes dashed.

Jesus must have had similar disappointments and questions, considering the sorry state His disciples were in, even right up to the Last Supper. It took a miracle to get them to the place of growing and leading the early church. And miracles can still happen for our adult children. Our faith and prayers are just as valuable as our parenting skills, or even lack of them. Parents can make a difference, even after the children have long left our home and care. Just pray without ceasing. I Thess. 5:17

265 To Go

Number one hundred post coming up! I actually am beginning to feel like a real blogger. But better than that, I now feel like a writer too. Before I felt like an avid reader, an excellent proofreader and editor, but just a so-so writer.

Having people actually read my blog means so much. For me, it's the time of day when I sit down and contemplate where God was in my day. I hope it has encouraged other people to do the same. For God is everywhere, trying to speak His wisdom through all the everyday happenings in our life.

My sister, who was just miraculously spared in an automobile accident, has an order for 365 blogs, to last a whole year. So I've just got 265 to go. God is so great. I'm sure I won't run out of material. In a year, or in a lifetime. It's easy to write about your best Friend (God) for your best friend (your sister). Get well, my angel sister!

"Big Sister" God

I feel blessed to be the mother that lives closest to our daughter's family. That has meant that a good share of their laundry gets done at my house. Kayla and the two little granddaughters were here today to do a couple of loads, so I got the pleasure of playing with them most of the afternoon.

Jenna, the three-year-old, has quite the imagination and a lot of her play is "pretend shopping and/or doctor visits." It amazes me, the things she comes up with on our pretend excursions. Her baby doll did a lot of vomiting and running of the nose today. Little sister Julia, on the other hand, mostly follows big sister around to make sure she gets to be part of the action, but passionately hangs on to her dolls so they stay in her possession and don't get "kidnapped" by big sister.

Interestingly enough, I have found myself "following God around," yet vigorously protecting some aspect of my life. Holding onto it desperately, trying to prevent God from snatching it away from me. Things I have been attached to include pride, grief, guilt, and anger. I've noticed though that the only time God tries to take them away are when they become too heavy to bear. Then like a big sister, God intervenes. Well, gently intervenes, not totally like big sister.