Happy birthday today to my older – much older – brother Jay. I have no idea just how old he is, but I take comfort in the fact that he will always be older.
Last night Chris did something just for me to make me feel like I'm not the only one. The only what, you may ask? Well, it happened when we were getting ready for supper. Our routine is to ask Mom if she wants to drink water or tea with her meal. Last night, however, must have been the culmination of a long day for Chris. Jachin, Micah, and Josiah had been over for most of the day. Christina's Mom was in the hospital donating a kidney, and Kel was getting some work done at Starbuck's. We took them over to CiCi's for lunch where we met up with the kids from Seaside Christian Academy who were on a field trip. We joined them for the first part of the trip – an excursion to Moody Gardens to see the big poinsettia tree and hope for a glance or two of the huge river otters. We did the requisite pictures in front of the tree (Santa wasn't home yet). And after a lot of coaxing by Mrs. Cindy (that really did a lot of good, I'm sure), one of the otters did make an appearance. The SCA kids finally went over to the playground for a while before they continued on to deliver a batch of toys Seaside collected for the Galveston Urban Ministries. We headed back home to prepare for nap time. All of that did result in quite a long day for Chris, for I can understand her momentary lapse when she went to see what Mom wanted to drink with her supper. I know what she meant to say, but what came out of her mouth instead was, "Do you want tea or supper?" Tough choice, Mom. Eat or stay hydrated. Thanks for the encouragement, Chris. You really inspired me to work harder to hone my own "senior moment" skills for the future.
I did get to teach Josiah a new word. He is eighteen months old and is constantly saying something in that exciting language of the cosmos that only little children can understand. I was holding him during one of those expositions. I have no idea what he said, but he looked at me with wide eyes and an expectant stare when he finished, so I did what any self-respecting yet ignorant adult raised in the 60's would do. I said, "Cool." And in his new-century, rapid-processing way, he hesitated only briefly before replying, "Cool." Of course the only valid adult response to such an echo is to laugh and reward. So I did. And in a move that would make Pavlov proud, he said it again, "Cool." Which elicited exactly the response he was hoping for. I laughed and said, "That's right, Cool." What followed was a rapid-fire exchange of "Cools" accompanied by a vast array of facial expressions and just about every variation of tonal quality imaginable. He had me trained. And not just me. His Daddy was so excited that he made a video and posted it on Facebook so his mommy could be a part of the moment. It was … what can I say but … Cool.
Isaiah 28:16 says, "So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: 'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed."
Father, how many times can I thank you for the family you have surrounded me with? They are awesome displays of your goodness. Amen.
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