March 12 – “Playing Protect the President”

Well, we made it through yet another loud, raucous, boisterous, rowdy, wild, wonderful few days full of ten grandchildren all in the house at the same time.  That meant video games and Yahtzee and Legos and G.I. Joes (did I mention that 7 of them are boys?) and baby dolls (the three girls are pretty strong-willed, even the three-month-old), not to mention the tears and laughter that flooded the entire house pretty much from the time they woke up until they crashed into their beds or sleeping bags at night. 

We managed to squeeze in a fishing trip between raindrops, but they honestly did just fine when left to their own play devices.  Swinging in the back yard.  Just running up and down the deck stairs.  Playing hide and seek outside and inside (The inside part of the game got nixed by parents, however, in an effort to protect the littlest cousins). 

My personal favorite game that they played was one oldest cousin Jachin came up with.  It was a live-action thriller called, Save the President.  Everyone drew from a hat his (or her – Cailyn was in the middle of everything) character to play.  Some were secret service agents assigned to protect the president at all costs.  Others were terrorist assassins with the enviable task of abducting Mr. President.  Oh, and Josiah was the lucky one who became President Trump, himself.  I saw bad guys hiding under my desk (with me sitting there) and good guys slinking around corners, searching for any signs of danger before allowing President Josiah Trump to pass through.  There was a lot of gunfire involved, and even a knife or two.  All weapons were part of the role-play participant’s body, however, so no kitchen utensils were actually involved in the process.  Besides, everybody knows it’s way easier to switch from a gun to a rifle and back to a gun and then over to a knife when all you have to do is change the shape and position of your hands and fingers.  But did I mention that it was loud?  Oh, yes.  Very loud.  And how did little President J. Trump fare?  In the end, not so well.  I found him laid out in the hallway, obviously the victim of a kidnapping gone bad.  Well, a combination of that and not much sleep at the mis-named “sleepover” the night before.  Needless to say, with his demise the game came to a close.  President Josiah eventually overcame his battle scars, though, and rejoined the human race, just in time for a 30 minute media period, if I’m not mistaken.  Can’t miss that Wii baseball challenge.

1 Tim 2:5-6 says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men — the testimony given in its proper time.”

Father, thank you for made up games and the fun that ensues when cousins get together.  Amen.