He Remembers Us!

We arrived in "that other state" at about 10:00 last night. Of course our Grandson was sound asleep by then. Our daughter picked us up at the airport after a very uneventful flight. It's about 1 hour and 45 minutes non-stop. Sure beats the 12 hour drive. After visiting for awhile we all retired for the night a little after midnight. Our daughter told us that our grandson would probably wake up somewhere between 7:30 and 8:00, and that when we heard him we could get him up.

I couldn't wait to get him up, but I was a little apprehensive that walking into his room might scare him. He hadn't seen us in 38 days. That's a long time in a 20 month olds world. I opened his door and slowly walked toward him. He looked a little confused for a millisecond, but then smiled and handed me his prize "mater" that he sleeps with. You know how boys are with their trucks....lol. I picked him up and hugged him and asked him if he wanted to see Grandpa. He looked out to where the guestroom is, wiggled out of my arms and ran to see his best friend. Too cute. I think I knew that he wouldn't have forgotten us, but I'm sure glad he didn't.

Today his parents took us to "Jungle Jim's." It's "that other states" version of Chuck E. Cheese, only better. It has left over rides from circa 1970. A carousel, swings that rotate in a circle, airplanes, mini-roller coaster and a train. He is NOT a baby anymore. Some of the rides require a parent and others he just went on by himself. He is mastering the art of standing in line and waiting patiently. He just climbs in the rides and lets the attendant buckle him in. He smiles and waves and is just too cute for words.

After a fun morning at the amusement park we went out to a pizza buffet. We all stuffed ourselves silly. Then it was home for a much needed nap for the boy and his grandpa.

I will post pictures of our little boy when we get home. Today was day one of our visit. Somehow I think 5 days is going to go way too fast.

Obedience

For the last year God had been working in my life to bring about a significant amount of change. Like most people I DETEST change. I liked my life the way it was. I was comfortable, I was happy and I.....you guessed it.....like to be in CONTROL. That in itself was my first mistake. I have definitely learned that I am not in control, will never be in control and need to learn that it's ok not to be in control. God is so much bigger than me and so much better at being in control. Maybe one of these days I'll get it and actually embrace it.

The biggest area of change was that God wanted me to quit my job. For months I knew that the Lord was slowly and quietly nudging me to leave. My job had become someplace that was unhealthy for me to be. What had once been a wonderful place to work had become something that caused me to put forth nothing but negative energy. That being said, I had worked there for almost 15 years. I had tremendous flexibility. I was good at what I did and comfortable doing it. I would have "discussions" with God where I justified why I couldn't possibly leave my job. ALL of them sounded something like this:

Me: "I can't quit. I've worked for this man since 1993. He's been a great boss and I owe him so much."

God: "You don't actually owe him anything. He's been good to you and you've been loyal in return. End of discussion...it's time to move on."

Or the conversation might go like this:


Me: "I can't quit. If I quit I wouldn't have any money."

God: "Why are you worrying about money? Your husband makes enough money to provide for everything that you need."

Me: "Yes, but when I work I can buy anything that I want whenever I want."

God: "Why can't you just trust in me? Why can't you believe that I have your best interests at heart? Do you not read my word? Do you even hear yourself?"

The sad thing was that I DID hear myself. I knew what God was asking was right and yet, somehow, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I worked 45 minutes from home. God and I had a lot of conversations about my job EVERY single day while I was driving. What began as simple nudging escalated to my knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt what God was "requiring" of me. I'm a parent and I can only imagine how I must have tried God's patience during this time. I know that when I would "hint" to my children that I wanted them to do the right thing, I always rejoiced when they did. When they didn't pick up on my subtle hints, I would sit them down and explain to them exactly what I wanted and expected from them. When they still didn't do what I was asking them I would lose my patience and there would be consequences. There were many times when one of my children would push right to the brink of getting themselves into serious trouble. This is exactly what I did with this issue. I dug my heals in and basically refused to do what God was asking of me. I justified in my mind all of the reasons that HE was being unreasonable. Having been a Christian for as long as I have I also knew that there would become a point where God would decide that he had had enough and I would "get spanked."

About this time, I started to put God in a box. I remember driving to work one morning. God was having a particularly naggy morning. (I mean no disrespect by that comment, but it helps to put in context the severity of this situation.) I finally said:

"Fine!!!! If you want me to quit, I will. Just please make something happen at work today to make it so abundantly clear to me that I can't do anything else but quit." God is so awesome! He didn't have to do anything else at this point. Good grief...he had already made his request crystal clear. That being said, I got to work at 7:00 am and before 8:00 my petition had been granted. The specifics aren't important, but let's suffice it to say, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was doing the right thing. I gave my notice.

I left in September. 6 1/2 months have gone by and I haven't missed work for even one single fraction of a day. Money hasn't been an issue and I have been blessed beyond my wildest dreams. I have not looked for another job and don't know if I will. For now, I'm enjoying the life of the unemployed. Shortly after I gave my notice we found out that God was moving my daughter and her family to "that other state." I can tell you that once I found that out I would have quit my job anyway. Now I am free to go and visit whenever I want to. I am free to enjoy her visits home without having to go to work. I am so glad that I finally obeyed and left my job when God was asking me to. This way it was His will and not my own. Praise God!

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On to other news. We are going to "that other state" today to visit my daughter, son-in-law and grandson. I am so excited! It has been 38 days since we have seen them. That is about 35 too long. When they lived here we saw them several times a week. While we know that they are where God wants them, I think it is fair to say that this feels like a very long vacation that they need to come home from. We can't wait to spend time with our grandson and simply bask in his cuteness. Praise God for JetBlue direct flights to "that other state." I'll fill you in on our trip when we get back.

Grandpa You Lead The Way!!!

When I introduced you to my Grandson I told you about how he loves to visit my husband at work. At that time, I couldn't find the pictures I was looking for to post with the blog. I finally found them and thought that I would share them with all of you. I think they are precious and I love how much he enjoys being in "Grandpa's World."

"I'll hold my helicopter Grandpa while I sit in your helicopter"


"Can I push some of the buttons?"


"Grandpa....Wait for me!!!"

What is wrong with people?

In the last 24 hours I have had two different experiences that have left me thinking, "What in the world is wrong with people?" Yesterdays, while not a big deal in the grand scope of things, just irritated me to no end. At the end of February I added DVR to my cable/Internet/phone bundle. There was a special on line that said all three with upgraded cable and DVR would be $129.99. Knowing full well that doesn't include any of the zillion taxes and surcharges that they always ding you with, I called and asked if I qualified for this bundle and what the FINAL total would be each month. A very sweet, competent sounding woman told me that my total bill would be $139.78 a month. She said that I qualified for free activation and a couple of other perks. My hubby, who didn't want to spend any more money each month, finally agreed that if it was really only going to raise my bill $20.00 a month we could do it. Well, when I got my bill yesterday, imagine my surprise when it was $148.88. A mere $40.00 increase. I knew that hubby was NOT going to go for it and I called to question this, because, well it just wasn't right. The guy that I got on the phone was an IDIOT!!! I use the term with the utmost respect for the brain capacity that this individual actually must have. He tried to tell me that my bill was going to be $160 give or take a few dollars because this month I got a couple of freebies and rebates. At this point of the story, I need to clarify to my 2 readers that I am a very organized person. I used to pay bills for a corporation. I know what I am doing. When I spoke to the first woman I kept a printout off of the Internet showing what I believed to have purchased with detailed notes of everything she said to me in regards to this transaction. When I repeatedly questioned the Idiot he had no answers except to finally say, "Well, you know how it is when a company is trying to get your foot into the door." WHAT??? "You mean the same company that you work for?" Good Grief! I finally got so frustrated with him that I asked to speak to a supervisor. When the supervisor got on the phone it took all of about 2 minutes to have him figure out that there was a billing error. Not only did he take care of me, but he over compensated me with further rebates and assured me that yes my monthly total would be $138.00. I ended up happy, but seriously.....

That brings me to today's experience. While walking out of the grocery store there was a family in front of me leaving at the same time. Mom pushing a toddler in the cart and dad walking behind with a little boy about 4 or 5 years old beside him. The kind of family that was so normal looking that I wouldn't have given them a second thought. The only reason that I noticed them at all was that the dad had a yummy looking chocolate covered donut in his hand. That was the only thing that peaked my interest at first. Yep, I admit it.....I noticed the donut. What happened next left me standing dead in my tracks and utterly speechless. The little boy said, "Daddy, I want a bite." To which the dad replied, "I don't really give a flying f^#@ what you want." Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the full on f word in response to a little boy asking for a bite of a donut. I was horrified. How sad for that little boy. One you have the whole donut issue, but two...what would ever make an adult think that was an appropriate way to respond to a child? I just wanted to take the little guy home with me and show him that that isn't a normal way for people to talk to one another. I doubt it was the first time he spoke to his son that way and somehow I know it won't be the last. The even sadder thing is that the mom didn't even have a reaction. I am so thankful that my husband never spoke to my children like that.

I've been tagged

Cool! I've been tagged by my daughter to pick up the closest book and write down the first 5 sentences on page 123. The book is The Best of Erma Bombeck. Don't ask. The 5 sentences are so weird in view of the recent post I had about my grandson, but here goes:

Grandmas defy description. They really do. They occupy such a unique place in the life of a child. They can shed the yoke of responsibility, relax, and enjoy their grandchildren in a way that was not possible when they were raising their own children. And they glow in the realization that here is their seed of life that will harvest generations to come.

I told you it was weird. Anyway, I tag Carol, Jon, Heather, Vicki and Angie.

Thanks for tagging me Lori!

A Committment to Giving

I have a ton of shoes. Way too many shoes. Shoes I don't even wear, but save because someday they just might be the only pair of shoes that will go with the outfit I'm wearing that day. The only time I get rid of shoes is if they actually get worn out or something on them breaks or if I just can't fit another new pair into the closet. Then and only then do I get rid of a pair.

The last couple of Christmas' our church has participated in Operation Christmas Child. Headed by the organization Samaritan's Purse an organization whose primary focus is ministering to suffering children around the world. Operation Christmas Child, for those of you who have never heard of it, encourages people to fill shoe boxes with items for underprivileged children. The boxes are wrapped in Christmas wrapping. They suggest you fill your box with items such as hygiene items, small toys, school supplies etc. You can write a personal note to the child as well. Once the box leaves your church it goes to a distribution center where they will add a leaflet telling the child about the love of Jesus Christ in his/her own language. Some of these children have never been presented with the gospel of Jesus. Most of them have never received a gift.

I decided that since I love to buy shoes, have the means to freely buy them and usually discard the box to put the shoes into built-in-cubbies in my closet, that I am going to make the following rule: "If I buy a pair of shoes I must then take the shoe box and fill it for a child somewhere in the world." If God has blessed me with the ability to freely buy then I am going to in turn give to someone less fortunate. I'll just store the filled shoe boxes until it is time for this year's drive.

You are probably wondering why in the heck I am posting this, right? Well, I would like to challenge all of the other shoeaholics (I know there are a lot of you out there) to consider doing the same thing. The boxes can be filled for a reasonable price if you shop at places like the Dollar Store or Big Lots. If you want more information on Operation Christmas Child go to www.samaritanspurse.org. and check it out.

Meet the Cutest Little Boy in the World

Many people say that if they had known how much fun grandchildren would be they would have had them first. Of course that is the silliest and most impossible statement in the world. Other people say that you will love your grandchildren more than your own children. This too is not true. What is true is that they will invade every fiber of your being within 15 minutes of meeting them. You won't love them more, but you will love them different. Gone are the financial responsibilities and the worries about new shoes and putting food on the table and paying the college tuition. The temper tantrums don't seem quite as embarrassing and the stubbornness is kind of funny. Instead, you are free to love them in a way that I can't even begin to describe.

Such is the case with our little grandson. He is now 19 months old. He was an answer to prayer. The miracle baby that no one thought would ever be and a testimony to God's timing. The announcement of my daughter's pregnancy coincided with my mom being diagnosed with Lung Cancer. He is what she lived for. She just recently lost her fight, but the joy that little boy brought to her was immeasurable. He brings that same joy to each member of our family and we can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for his life.

Watching our grandson is like looking back in time. Aside from the fact that he usually wears blue and she wore pink, oftentimes it is like looking at our daughter. He has her eyes and nose. His hair grows in much the same way and is a similar color. He is strong-willed one moment and sweet and cuddly the next. Sleeping in public is out of the question. After all, one might just miss something important. He is perpetual motion. If his eyes are open his legs are moving. He loves chicken nuggets, french fries, yogurt and macaroni and cheese. His best friends are his blanket, pacifier and his dog.

He loves to be outdoors. Garden hoses and rocks are intriguing. In fact, did you know that dirty rocks become muddy rocks when wet? Cars are great fun and they must be pushed while saying vroom-vroom. He loves music and dancing and twirling around in circles. When he doesn't want to eat something he shuts his eyes real tight. If he can't see it, it must be gone.

One of his favorite people in the world, is his grandpa. The two of them have an amazing bond. Watching them together melts my heartstrings. My daughter and her family recently moved to another state. I was worried that my grandson might not remember us from one visit to the next, but I was wrong. On a recent visit, my husband went to pick them up at the airport. My grandson saw his grandpa from across the airport and broke into a huge smile and couldn't get to his grandpa fast enough. When they are together, they are inseparable. Grandpa is probably the biggest kid around and tremendous fun is had by both. There is tent camping (in the den), cartoon watching, playing outside, swinging on the swings, shoulder riding, pancake eating and snuggling to be done. He loves to visit Grandpa's work when he is here. He knows exactly which office is his and acts like he owns the flight line. He loves to sit in the helicopters and ride in the maintenance carts. Some of the cutest pictures etched in my memory are of him and grandpa walking across the hangar. One man in a flight suit closely trailed by an eager little boy. Perhaps we have a budding pilot?

Between visits, we miss this little boy (and his parents) tremendously, but perhaps that makes it even more fun to spoil him when we do see him. There are huge changes in him each time. Just from December to January it seemed like a little boy came to visit when the visit before he was a baby. There were more words this trip and a need for more independence.

When I wrote about all of the other people in my life, I wrote of their journey thus far. I told you a little about how each one had grown and changed into the person they are today. I told you how blessed I was that they are each walking with the Lord. My grandson has just begun his journey and seeing him grow and change reminds me of Isaiah 64:8 "Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand." Also, Psalm 140:16 says, "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." With a little earthly help from his parents, and others who love him, the Lord will mold him into the godly man that he will become. Only God knows the mark he will leave on this world. Perhaps he will follow his daddy and other grandpa into ministry. Maybe he will follow this grandpa into public service and aviation. Chances are God will lead him down his own path to his own life long dreams. What a joy and a comfort to know that for as much as we love this little boy here on earth, our Heavenly Father loves him so much more. My prayer for his life journey would be that, whatever paths he chooses, he would always walk with Jesus.