Strange Round Things

My 3-year-old said at dinner the other night, "I don't like these little round things. I don't like them because they're STRANGE." The strange round things turned out to be mushrooms. At least it was a change from the usual, "I don't like them because they're GREEN."

You Gotta Love 3-year-olds!

Three-year-olds are so funny. Who else can tell you one minute, "Mommy, do you have a big tummy?" and the next minute say, "Mommy, you're my best friend. You take good care of me." I just love the naive honesty of children. Yesterday, my little girl was climbing on the couch (something we've told her about 100 times not to do), and she said, "I'm asking God to help me not to do this." Wow! That just goes to show you that kids really are listening to everything you say and watching everything you do. For that reason, I've been claiming the verse Psalm 19:14 - "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer." (NASV)

Sweet Hour of Prayer

I shed a couple of tears at church yesterday. I know that's not an odd thing for many people, but it's unusual for me to show my emotions in public. We sang "Sweet Hour of Prayer," and the words just hit me hard. Here are the lyrics:

1. Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
that calls me from a world of care,
and bids me at my Father's throne
make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
my soul has often found relief,
and oft escaped the tempter's snare
by thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

2. Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
the joys I feel, the bliss I share
of those whose anxious spirits burn
with strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
where God my Savior shows his face,
and gladly take my station there,
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!

3. Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
thy wings shall my petition bear
to him whose truth and faithfulness
engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since he bids me seek his face,
believe his word, and trust his grace,
I'll cast on him my every care,
and wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
(Words by William Walford)

The first verse made me think of my Grandma, who is now in a nursing home. I wondered if she sometimes sings those words now. I was thinking that I hoped that someone would come to her nursing home and play/sing hymns for her and the other residents. Then I was convicted that I need to do the same thing in my town. Somewhere, a relative of a person in a nursing home here is wishing that their loved one could hear their beloved hymns.

Reading is fun!

I'm not sure how much reading was going on here, but they love books anyway!

Grandparents are Cool

When my parents were in town last week, I realized once again that I have the best parents in the world (my in-laws are pretty darn cool too, but that's another blog for another day!). I had wanted to buy a new outfit for my baby boy's baby dedication at church, but I hated the idea of shopping with two kids in tow, and I also hated the idea of buying an outfit that will (hopefully!) be much too big by next Summer. So I had decided to just wear something that I already had. But my dear Mama came into town with two different new outfits for me to choose from! She's so thoughtful, and she's always looking out for something that we might like. One of the outfits worked great, and I felt much better in an outfit that really fit me. Of course, she also brought tons of goodies for the kids too! Thanks to her and their other Grandma, my kids' closets could compete with a children's boutique. :) I sure appreciate all of the clothes that they get for the kids. My Mama did all of my laundry during the week that she was here, and she helped with other housework/cooking too. I hope she wasn't too tired after her "working vacation!" My Daddy bought groceries, meals, and treats for us, and he was always willing to walk around with the little guy to try to keep him happy. He was especially good at calming him down when he walked outside with him. The little guy LOVES to be outside, even in the heat. My daughter loves Nonny and Pop so much, and she had been SO excited to see them. She had a great time playing with them. The sad thing is that she now realizes when people are going away, and she got sad when they were about to leave to go home. She kept saying, "I don't want you to go." I wish we could live closer to our families so the visits could be more often. Hopefully one day! Until then, we'll make the most of these visits that we have. The distance certainly keeps you from taking people for granted! We don't always do a lot or go a lot of places when they visit, but I love just BEING with them. It's such a comfort to be with people who have known you so long and know you so well and still love you unconditionally! My parents have always been so good to my sister, brother, and me. Because of the love my parents showed to me, it was never difficult to imagine a loving God. It makes me sad to think that some people can't imagine God loving them because they never felt real love from their parents. I guess this is turning into a good topic for another blog...

By the way, today would be my Granddaddy's 91st birthday. He passed away in 1998, but I still think of him often. I love him very much; I use the present tense here because I still love him and know that I'll be with him in Heaven one day. He was a great grandfather. He took us fishing, rode us around the yard in a trailer behind his lawnmower, built us a big treehouse in his yard, and made me the most wonderful dollhouse that a littl girl could dream of. But most of all, he gave us his unconditional love, and we always knew that we could depend on him for anything that we needed. Thank you, Granddaddy! Happy Birthday!