June 25 – “A new favorite”

I had the privilege of being renamed yesterday.  Well, it wasn’t official, and it probably won’t last long, but the new designation is there for now.  We drove into Texas to take care of the LaMarque kids while their mom and dad went to the new X-Men movie.  No comments on the movie.  I haven’t seen it, and probably wouldn’t recognize the characters if you named them.  It’s always been hard for me to keep track of characters in a make-believe universe like Marvel.  Now the DC universe is quite a bit different, since it is obviously the real one.  But neither universe has anything to do with my new name.

That came when I was invited up to three-year-old Noa’s bedroom to play.  We were bouncing her bigger than Noa sized Minnie Mouse doll back and forth across a rocking chair.  I decided to ask a question:

Me: “Who is your favorite princess?” (Expecting, of course one of the Big Six, or however many Disney princesses there are now … you know, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Tangled – don’t know her real name, that ice queen one that keeps wanting to let everything go, Beauty – the one that loves the beast.  Had to be one of those, right?  Not so much).

Noa (Thinking it over ever so quickly): “Hmm.  Goofy.”

Me (More than a little stunned by her selection): “I didn’t know he was a princess.”

Noa (Picking up on the gender-specific nature of my question): “Is Goofy a boy?”

Me (Not wanting to burst the bubble of her favorite princess world, but knowing I had to be straight with her): “Yes.”

Noa (Now her thinking it over process took a little bit longer, but her beautiful grin soon appeared): “Oh ... Well, then, you are Goofy.”

Me (Honored, of course, since Goofy is my favorite Disney character): “I am?”

Noa (Reaching out to pat my leg lovingly): “Yes, DadDad.  And Goofy looks like a coyote.”

Ah, my life-long dream has come to pass – to be Goofy the Coyote, the favorite Disney princess of my three-year-old granddaughter.

Romans 12:11 says, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”

Father, thank you for princesses like Noa and chances to be Coyote Goofy’s with her.  Amen.