You may not recognize this picture. This is snow mold on the lawn after a tough winter. This white gauzy stuff can make me sneeze like one of the 7 dwarfs (Sneezy obviously)

I’m allergic to mold in all it’s forms. The stuff makes my eyes water. But I cannot avoid it when I do my spring walk in the yard. Soon the hot sun will kill the snow mold and the lawn will turn green and I’ll return to normal whatever that is!

Grand kids are kinda like snow mold. They change my reactions in a different way. Instead of sneezing, I smile more with grand kids. Rather than watering eyes, when grand kids are around I cannot feel any aches and pains. Of course, grandma back returns when the kids are gone.

Even moldy faith and grubby grand kids result in a change in my physical self. And the change is not bad. A change is faith isn’t bad either. It’s just change.

So when your faith feels moldy, think of those grubby kids you love and know that beauty can be found beneath the snow mold and beneath the runny noses.

It’s melting, it’s melting. (See picture above) “I’m melting, I’m melting. (See Wizard of Oz) My grandchild is having a meltdown! (Run for the hills)

Yes, grandchildren have meltdowns. My daughter tells me this happens after too much attention at Grandma’s house. Actually it also happens AT Grandma’s house. When a grandchild has a meltdown, what are the tricks that work? You may want to answer “nothing,” or you may want to run for the hills, but I think grandparents have a unique opportunity when a child melts downs.

We don’t have two other children to watch or laundry to do (who needs clean socks when grand kids are here). We have just one child who has gone beyond their limit. So here’s what we do.
Stop.
Drop to a chair.
Offer a lap.
Let them cry.

Eventually they wind down. Sometimes they fall asleep. Sometimes they cry for hours. Sometimes they are so mad they won’t have anything to do with you. It’s here that I bring out the favorite book. The Spark Story Bible or The Usborne Childrens Bible are great books to use. They have beautiful pictures and lots of cool stories. Let the melted one chose a story.

I’m praying for you!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

This is a shamrock. Can you find any leaf with four petals? Think about St. Patrick; the guy who brought Christianity to Ireland. I wonder if he ever imagined the conflict with Northern Ireland.
Blessings on your day.
Christy

Look at these cool cards. These really show the growth in my oldest grandkids. The words that go with the letters in Grandma show that the oldest is starting to see past the letters and words and deeper into meaning. If you wonder, I’m guessing the word dirt means either I hate it in the house or I love digging in it in the garden. Either way it is descriptive.

And what about that five year old? Can he do his name or what? I love the picture of Grandma hugging Caleb. On the other side, since you can’t see, he copied the words to Happy Birthday.

I always say that to write something must happen. In my garden, things constantly happen and as I connect those to faith I have lots to write. But, as grand parents know, there is Nothing like getting something from your grand kids to inspire you.
And I’m writing right back because one good letter deserves another.

Write to someone today – using plain old snail mail.

I seldom put pictures of my grand kids on my blog. My daughter says it’s okay, but I’m a worry wart. This picture is recent and is of my 2 year old grand daughter. She is sitting in a chair that Dad gave me last fall. I asked Dad to tell the story of the chair.

To his best recollection, the chair was in the house when his family switched houses with his grandparents. His family was living in a two bedroom house and his Mother was due with her third child. His grandparents were in a big house by themselves and the decision was made to switch houses. This chair was in the house. So that makes it my great grandmother’s chair.

The dress in this picture was my sister’s dress when she was little. The dotted-swiss was worn by my oldest daughter, too. So what we have here is my grand daughter sitting in her great-great-grandmother’s chair in her great-aunt’s dress. And if you haven’t noticed she’s been crying. Obviously this was more important to me than to her.

I have to remember that the stories that are important to me as I explore generations are not always important to others. Even if the “other” looks completely cute and just waiting for a hug. Stories need listeners. Hmmm… once again I am reminded that it’s not all about me!

Icicles amaze me. Although we often only notice that they are dripping down on us, a wise six year old told me that they actually “drip up”. Hmmm… that’s a new outlook. One might call it a reverse outlook. Evidently, this verbal darling told me, the water melts on the roof and comes down the icicle. The ice is so cold that it stops and builds up the icicles. I can see that. Sort of!

Maybe when we are having our slowest day and miss everyone and can’t seem to get a thing finished, we should try a reverse outlook. Rather than emphasizing having a slow day, we should try to have a fast day. Set the kitchen timer and see how long it takes us to do tasks.

Rather than missing grandkids we should write a list of the way the bathroom looks when they visit. Or better yet, move the couch. I guarantee there are toys, pacifiers or books under it –even if you did clean.

Maybe “drip up” is like “look up”. Not a bad idea when you are looking down.

I didn’t take this picture. My daughter took it in Africa. But I have to tell you that it inspires me. Maybe it’s the fact that as a grandma I often feel like this chicken. There are little chicks following me as I go along. Maybe the inspiration comes from being called a little chick by Mom. Whatever the reason, this picture brings up all kinds of thoughts.

Do you think the chicken even remembers the chick is following? I know I sometimes forget the little ones are watching. Forgetting seems to be a symptom of my age. When I am surrounded by the grandkids, I have to keep remembering that they are all following or maybe NOT following which is more worrisome.

One little darling always notices that I seldom get around to eating breakfast while I am preaching that they must eat a good breakfast. Another cutie seems to cue into my sense of humor. He tells me constantly, “You are being silly again.” And then there is myna bird. It seems that 2 year olds repeat everything you say. This includes the good, bad and ugly!

I think it’s good to be reminded that others follow you, even if you do not feel like a faith leader. Ask yourself this question. “Who is following me?” Your answer might surprise you. Each of us is a leader somewhere in our lives. And God is with us as we are models of faith for others.

Wednesday is Sr. Citizen Day in the retail world where I live. Last week someone asked me if I qualified for the Sr. Citizen discount. I was shocked. I know I’m a grandma but surely not a Sr. Citizen. In the silence of the checkout lane, I had to confront aging.

In the silence of a winter night, this broken pine had to confront it’s aging, too. One moment you are holding up the world and one moment you are broken. That is the natural condition of the world. And there is true shock in the sudden feeling of being broken.

Resiliency in aging is one of the most important things to recognize. That is what being human is all about. I truly did get over my shock of recognized aging. Although as soon as the grand kids left, I went and had my hair cut!

As we slowly edge our way into the last third of our life, we need to remember that this too is the plan of God. We have wisdom, but it may need to be given from a chair. We have compassion but it may need to be passed on through advocacy. We have much to give and maybe just need to readjust our thoughts as to how we interact with the world.

And when in doubt-go get a new hair cut!

Winter Morning

I write poetry. My poetry isn’t fancy and almost always takes on the feelings and emotions of seasonal topics in the simple words of children. During the 12 days over Christmas when my four grandchildren visited, I felt myself full of words and could hardly get them all written.

One particular morning, I was waiting for the kids to “arrive”. That means watching dawn through the window until I hear the footprints of little ones. These are the words that I wrote.

Pussy willow pink creeps through the sky,
As leafless trees stretch their arms up high.
Winter morning comes…

I was writing in the notebook by my bed when I heard the first footsteps. A five year old, vaults and giggles his way into my bed.

Little birds with feathers shake,
As small and furry bodies wake.
Winter morning comes…

The seven year old jumps into bed saying, “Where are the covers? Grandma, why is your bed always warmer than mine?”

Joy enters in, frost crystal clear,
This cold and special time of year.
Winter morning comes…

And I hear the slight shuffle of a little one crawling up the stairs. With joy in words crystal clear, “Me come. Grandma’s bed.” The two year old has arrived!

Winter mornings are truly wonderful when shared in love.

If you wish to share other spiritual poems with children, check out my resource “Spiritual Poems for Children” on this website.

On December 24, 2005, my second grandson was baptized. he was a little peanut but in a wintry story, family and friends came out on Christmas Eve to celebrate his entrance into a faith community.

This is a faith box that the faith community gave to this darling. Actually, it is a replacement for the original that burned in a house fire. Not all the grand kids got a faith box. I struggled with whether I should provide one for each grandchild.

This brings up the question about whether Grandparents are equalizers. Is that part of my role in the faith life of the little ones? My thought is that the equalizing I need to do is not about “things” but about day-to-day faith stories, family memories and songs. If you tell the faith stories again and again you will give each little one the same gift as they journey into faith.