We had a guest all day and all night. No, this time it wasn't my imaginary friend, George, who likes to taunt me with tales of baseball and fishing and peaceful, cool nights with no pressing sermons to write or meetings to prepare for. It was Cailyn. Way better than George.
How good is it to have her around? It's … grounding, for one thing. After supper we were sitting in the back yard having a cup of Blue Bell. Cookies and Cream for all the girls. Homemade vanilla for me (I forgot that we had some Key Lime pie flavor in the freezer, but who can complain?). I was staring off into space, contemplating pain and carvings and whether or not I would sleep any tonight. Chris crashed into my stupor and asked, "Where are you tonight, DadDad?" I slowly answered from my reverie, "I'm just floating around." Chris simply nodded, knowingly. Cailyn, however, heard my reply as well. After about a three count, she burst into a wide grin and squealed with laughter. "No you're not, DadDad," she exclaimed, "You're at Nani and DadDad's house." I have to confess I couldn't suppress a grin myself. Who could help it, looking at a face like that? I did manage to gather myself enough to answer, "But I'm a cloud." Cailyn squealed again, "No you're not. You're DadDad. You're so silly." Doesn't take much to delight a three year old who has had a good nap, does it?
Later on I was trying to get some work done at my desk. We plan to go to San Antonio Friday for Zakary's birthday, so I have to get a week's worth done in three days. And of course Cailyn realized I wasn't in the room where she was, at her back and call. And the cries began, "DadDad, where are you?" Didn't take her long to find me, though. Chris nudged her just enough when she asked, "Where do you think DadDad might be?" Ouch. But find me she did, and crawled right up into my lap, asking, "Whatcha doin', DadDad?" I valiantly tried to explain my dilemma of trying to get everything done under the time constraints before me. She patiently listened, occasionally nodding to assure me she was with me. When I realized that she didn't understand or care what I was saying, I shut up. Grabbing her chance she jumped right in with a commemnt of her own, "When you was just a little baby you didn't have any 'puter, any phone, any TV, and any cartoons, right, DadDad?" I started to argue, but thought better of it. I mean, we did have a phone wired to the wall with one of those circular things on the front that you had to stick a finger in and spin around to the metal stop bar, then let go when you wanted to dial a number. And we had a TV that only showed pictures in black and white on three whole stations. I'm pretty sure I remember some cartoons, too. Woody Woodpecker comes to mind, and Mighty Mouse. But, no, we didn't have a computer.
The evening ended with a trip to the hair salon. Well, actually the trip was from the couch to the table. You can't have your hair done on the couch, silly. She wanted everyone to have brown, like her. That seemed boring, so I requested purple and pink. The process went remarkably fast, but while she had me in the chair she suggested a manicure and pedicure. Actually she took my hand in hers and said, "Let's do your toenails, DadDad." That I couldn't refuse. Ever had a mani-pedi done with sidewalk chalk? I have.
1 John 5:14 says, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us."
Father, thank you for that promise. I know it sounds simple, but it's a pretty encouraging thing to know that I am heard. Amen.
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