December 5 – “Grandchildren withdrawal”

 

 

We had a really good turnout for our Hanging of the Greens at church last night.  More folks than we have had since before Hurricane Ike, for sure.  With that many to help, we got the job done is much less time than usual, and we had lots of good food to boot.  Now the room looks really nice for the holidays.

 

I did have somewhat of a grandchildren withdrawal, though.  One of the little girls there was about three days older than Cailyn, so I admit I did some reminiscing.  Like the time when Cailyn found a pencil.  Now, I like to use those mechanical pencils.  Actually, is it still called a mechanical pencil if it is made of all plastic?  I usually get a package of them from WalMart.  By the time they run out of lead, the eraser is gone anyway, so the idea is for you to just throw it away.  I have put new leads in them, but it's hard to find replacement erasers.  And at least half of the eraser is wasted every time. 

 

So Cailyn is used to my plasti-chanical pencils.  But she snuck her way into Chris' desk drawer in the kitchen and found something that looked like it should have been a pencil.  It had an eraser on the end, but no matter how hard she tried, she just could not get the lead to come out.  She pushed it and shook it and even tried looking in the end.  She could see the lead, but it just would not come out.  I was all prepared with my answer should she ever ask for help.  See, it was one of those antique pencils that have to be sharpened.  She never asked, though.  After reaching her breaking point of frustration, she simply shrugged her shoulders, turned it around and used the eraser end as an applicator for pretend lipstick.  She's such a girl.

 

Now Caleb on the other hand has the "boy" thing down pretty well.  We saw a video clip of one of the televised worship services of First Baptist Church in San Antonio.  They have a children's sermon feature as part of the service, and Josh and Christi were filling in some of the children's comments that were not audible to the television audience.  Caleb was excited to be allowed to go sit on the steps with only his big brother as a guide.  The pastor began with a welcome of sorts to the children, and then told a missions story about the Rajpoot people of India.  Caleb was obviously listening to what was going on, because when he heard that, he decided if it was OK for the pastor to say, then it was good enough for him, too.  He scanned the faces of those nearest him and located a Sunday School teacher he recognized.  Just what he needed, an authority figure.  Slowly he inched his way toward her and announced, "I have to go poot."  Indeed.  Way to use your words, Caleb.

 

Isaiah 26:7 – "The path of the righteous is level; O upright One, you make the way of the righteous smooth."

 

Father, watch over those grandkids of ours when we are not around them.  We miss them.  Amen.