Yesterday, 1/14/15, I had a doctor’s appointment and Levi was going to stay with his Pa at work.  I had some time to kill before I could drop him off,  and I was already on that side of town, so I decided to go by and visit my Mom at the cemetery.  As I pulled in…

Levi…“What is this place?  I never been here before!”

Lulu….“I’m going to show you something.”

And, then I realized that Levi had probably never been to a cemetery before.  Oh, my!  How was I going to explain this to him?  I sent up a prayer…“Please, Lord, give me the right words.”  I did not want it to be a frightening thing for him…but just a fact of life.

We drove past the entrance and into the winding lane between the graves.

Levi….”Oh, I know what this place is!  It’s a flower garden!”

And, looking out over the neatly manicured lawn with flowers springing up everywhere…it did look like a flower garden!

Lulu…“There are sure lots of flowers here, aren’t there?”  And, I kept driving until I got close to Mom’s grave.  I parked and we got out.   He immediately took off running and exploring this new place.

Levi…“Look, Lulu!  There’s flowers and rocks in the ground!”  (He was referring to the headstones that are flat to the ground.)

Lulu…“Come with me, I want to show you something.”  And, I took him over to Mom’s grave.  I showed him the tree we had planted there, and the little redbirds that hang from the branches.  I showed him the bench we had placed there to sit and rest.

Lulu…“This is where My Mommy rests, but she lives in Heaven.”

Levi…“Where is Heaven?”

Lulu…“I’m not really sure, but I think it is on the other side of the sky.  But, I know for sure that Jesus lives there. “

Levi…“Does she have a house?”

Lulu…“The Bible says that she will have a house there.  And, the best part is, God is there, too!”

As he took all this in, he noticed the mausoleum close by.

Levi…“Is that God’s house?”

Lulu…“No.  That’s not His house.”

This was really a lot for a little boy to take in.  So, I just sat and let him ask what he needed to know.

Lulu…“Look, here is my Mommy’s name.”

Levi…” What is her name?”

Lulu…“Her name is Eloise…but your daddy called her Granny. Some people called her Ella, or Miss Ellie, or Annie.  I called Mama.”

Levi…“Is that her rock?”

Lulu…“Yes, that’s her rock.  See!  We put flowers right in here.  See how close it is to the redbird tree.”

Levi…Look! her name has an ‘L’ in it, too!

Lulu…Yes, and look!  it has an ‘E’ and an ‘I’ in it, too!

As he ran around, he picked out letters in other names on the ‘rocks’.

Levi…“Are they all your Granny’s name?”

Lulu…”No. Those are names of other people who are resting here, too.

Levi…“Did they go live with God, too?”

Lulu…“I don’t know, Levi.  But, if they loved Jesus in their heart, they sure did!”

I sat down on the bench and he climbed up beside me…swinging his little legs and looking around.  I knew his mind was full of questions.

Levi…“I like this flower garden.  I think it is a happy place.

Lulu…“Oh, it is a very happy place!  I like to come here.  But, we’ve got to go now…it’s very cold.”

Levi….“Is your Mommy cold, too?”

Lulu…“Oh, No!  She is in heaven…and she is singing and dancing and having a great time.  She doesn’t get tired and she doesn’t get sick….and she doesn’t get cold.  She’s happy all the time.”

Levi…“Can we come back next time?”

Lulu…“Of course we can!”

Wow!  What an amazing exchange!  I think God gave him a little understanding and me words to say.

1/15/15

This morning, before breakfast, Levi said the blessing.

Levi…“God, please look after Lulu’s Granny in heaven.  I like her flower garden.  I will come see her one day.  I like the eggs and the bacon.  I like my school. I like Jesus.  Amen.”

Friends, these are the moments that you take and tuck into your heart of hearts.  These are the moments that remind you that God cares about the hearts of little boys and big Lulus.  These are the moments that remind us that He watches us everyday, in everything we do.  And, He plans special moments for us to savor.

It has always saddened me a little that Mom never got to know John Thomas and Levi, and now Jackson.  She loved her grandchildren so much and her great grands would have thrilled her!  Joy takes John Thomas to visit quite often and now Levi has visited her resting place.  I don’t know if she sees them or knows of them, but I sure like to think that she enjoys it when they visit her.

This little visit to The Flower Garden was a spur of the moment idea…not planned or even thought about until it happened.  Well...I didn’t plan it.  But, perhaps God had other ideas!

It is important that in matters of theology we don’t give more information than a child is old enough to comprehend.  I gave Levi as much information as I thought would make sense to him and I answered every question he asked, but I did not try to explain to him that her body is under the ground, or that she is dead.   That can be quite confusing to a young child.  and that understanding will come to him at a later time.  So, I followed his lead.  What he needed to now…he asked.  What he asked…I answered.  The main thing this little visit did for Levi was show him that a cemetery is not a scary place.  This sets a foundation for the times he will encounter death in years to come.  To him, at this time, a cemetery is a place where there are lots of flowers…it’s a place where we talk about people we don’t see anymore…and, he had a happy time there. 

”  We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the

Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done…

so the next generation will know them,

even the children yet to be born,

and they in turn will tell their children.”  

Psalm 78:4-6

With my partners in the hunt for all things old and rusty and distressed, Shirl and Tina and I headed north to Franklin, Tennessee for a few days of fun, shopping, catching up, good food and …shopping.  This was the weekend of the City Farmhouse Pop-Up Show in Leiper’s Fork, TN, close to Franklin….close to Nashville.

First of all, Franklin is such a neat town…with lots to do.  Cute little shops and terrific places to eat.  We spent two days exploring the shops and discovering little antique stores…finding little treasures all along the way!  We all did some Christmas shopping…both for giving and decorating!  Here…a few pictures from around town.

Look…It’s MY store…

Great lunch here…

The bottles say…FAMILY and FRIENDS…perfect!

Acting silly in a Christmas store…we all bought a hat for our grands…but we had to make sure they were cute first!

Oh, what fun this was!  Over 150 vendors from all over the U.S.  It was everything we love!  The grounds were beautiful and it was just delightful being out in God’s beautiful world!

All too soon, Sunday rolled around…

…another fun adventure in the books…sweet memories made…and friendship bonds stronger than ever!  Till next time, friends!

*********Picture credits…..#1,9,14,17,18,19,20,21….The City Farmhouse…..all others…Tonja Owens.**********

And that’s the truth!

I have not been on FB much in the past few days…busy week!  Today, however, I looked to see what friends were up to on FB, and found some things of interest on the pages I subscribe to.

First I saw that…

This brings back all kinds of memories for this Mom.  I have a son who survived cancer.  He is a wonderful son…handsome and talented…with a beautiful wife, Suzanne and son, Levi.  He is 39 years old and a paramedic and professional photographer.

Time was, 36 years ago, that we didn’t think we would see him live to turn 4 or 5.  His cancer was a ganglioneuroblastoma.

********       What is neuroblastoma?
Neuroblastomas are cancers that start in early nerve cells (called neuroblasts) of the sympathetic nervous system, so they can be found anywhere along this system.   A little more than 1 out of 3 neuroblastomas start in the adrenal glands.  This type of cancer occurs most often in infants and young children, under the age of 2 years.  It is rarely found in children older than 10 years.  It has an incidence of about 650 cases in the US per year.

There is a wide range in how neuroblastomas behave. Some grow and spread quickly, while others grow slowly. Sometimes, in very young children, the cancer cells die for no reason and the tumor goes away on its own. ).

Ganglioneuroblastoma is a tumor that has both malignant and benign parts. It contains neuroblasts (immature nerve cells) that can grow and spread abnormally, similar to neuroblastoma, as well as areas of more mature tissue that are similar to ganglioneuroma.

Signs and Symptoms
The effects of neuroblastoma can vary widely depending on where the disease first started and how much it has spread to other parts of the body. The first symptoms are often vague and may include irritability, fatigue, loss of appetite, and fever. But because these early warning signs can develop gradually and mimic those of other common childhood illnesses, neuroblastoma can be difficult to diagnose.

In young children, neuroblastoma often is discovered when a parent or doctor feels an unusual lump or mass somewhere in the child’s body — most often in the abdomen, though tumors also can appear in the neck, chest, and elsewhere.

The most common signs of neuroblastoma are caused by the tumor pressing on nearby tissues as it grows or by the cancer spreading to other areas. These signs vary depending on how much the cancer has grown and where it has spread.

For example, a child may have:

***a swollen stomach, abdominal pain, and decreased appetite (if the tumor is in the abdomen)
***bone pain or soreness, black eyes, bruises, and pale skin (if the cancer has spread to the bones)
***weakness, numbness, inability to move a body part, or difficulty walking (if the cancer presses on the spinal cord)
***drooping eyelid, unequal pupils, sweating, and red skin, which are signs of nerve damage in the neck known as Horner’s syndrome (if the tumor is in the neck)
***difficulty breathing (if the cancer is in the chest)       *************

He was diagnosed at age 3, which is usually quite late as far as survival goes.  But, for some reason, the tumor, on his adrenal gland they say he was born with, did not start growing until shortly before we found it.  At removal, it was the size of a grapefruit!

One Saturday morning, I was giving a graduation luncheon for a dear friend of the family.  Because it was at a nearby motel banquet hall, I dropped little Adam off to stay with my mother.  I went a little early to get him settled.  He had been running a few and was coughing, red eyes, the whole bit.  I did not plan on taking him to the doctor.  Being a nurse myself, I usually just found the right meds or got the doctor  to call something in.  But, my mother…God bless her soul….my mother said, “Tonja, it’s the weekend, what if he gets any worse?  Maybe you should run him by and let them get him started on some meds.”  Something rang true about this, and so I did.  The nurse said for us to come right on over and he could see him quickly.

We did.  The doctor looked in his throat and in his nose and listened to his chest.  Yes, upper respiratory infection.   but before he handed him back to me, he did a once over on his body and mashed all around on his body.  Then he looked at me and said, “Come here and feel this, Tonja.”  And, I did.  I said, “I sure hope that’s his spleen.”  The doctor looked at me and said, “So do I…but I don’t think it is.  I want you to go straight to the hospital…right now…and check in.  I will see you there in about an hour.”  “I said, I am giving a luncheon in an hour for 20 people.  I can’t cancel now.  I can be there early afternoon.”  He said get there as soon as I could.  *****LIFE LESSON:  Always listen to your Mother!  She knows!*****

We went back to my mother’s house and she took him to my house and got his clothes and mine.  I did the luncheon.  Mom and I left for the hospital and I stopped by Don’s work to tell him where I was going.   It was in that moment that I told him that the realization struck me that my life had totally turned itself around and would never be the same.

We were admitted and tests run.  By late evening, we knew that it was most likely cancer. By early afternoon on Sunday, it was positive.  We were dismissed from the hospital and went home to pack…final destination Birmingham Children’s Hospital.  Don was sick from a bad stomach virus, so his sister drove the us to Birmingham.  She, Adam and I in the front…Don laying down in the back.  We dropped him at a motel and went to the hospital down the street.

This is the part that still gives me terrors when I remember.  We walked in and were admitted and they told us to go to the 6th floor and someone would meet us.  We rode up the elevator and got off.  All I could see were bald headed children.  Some walking with IV poles, some being pulled in wagons, some in wheelchairs, and some carried by parents.  I turned around, got back on the elevator. I took it to the first floor and walked out of the hospital toward the car.  There was no way I was letting my child go in there.  No way I was going to put him through this.  No, not going to do it.  I sat in the car and just got myself together.  Talked to God…He talked to me.  Beth was playing with Adam in the parking lot.

As hard as the unthinkable is to deal with…and as much as you want it to not be so…there always comes that realization.  This is real.  This is happening.  Happening now…so deal.  And, that’s what I did.  I took a deep breath and walked back in…up the elevator and through the doors.  This time a nurse was there to greet us.  She said, “I have been looking for y’all.  I was afraid you’d gotten lost.”  “We did,”I said.  “But we managed to find our way.”

And, that’s what we did for the next 8 or nine years…Children’s Hospital of Alabama became a second home.  There were also hospitals in Atlanta.  Surgery upon surgery…treatment upon treatment…pain and loneliness and fear.  And, always God.  And always family and friends.  And, Adam has been cancer free for 30 years now.   You can play tic-tac-toe on his belly from the scars of all the surgery…small price to pay.  From an original diagnosis of perhaps a year to live, God has granted us grace and mercy and strength and growth and peace.  We did not deserve it anymore that another child riding in that hall.  And, yes the time came when he rode his tricycle down the hall with the other children.  No child deserves cancer.  No child should ever have to live through this demon attacking their life when they are still innocent children.

But, God kept every promise.  And, while we knew that a gift of healing could mean God taking him to Heaven…we boldly prayed for God to take control of Adam’s life and hold him in His arms and love him with all the love He had.  And, that’s just what He did.  Thanks go to the doctors, the nurses, the family, the friends, even the strangers who we never knew.  But, God!

As I continued to scroll through FB,  I was surprised to see this picture …

Surprised, because this is what I dealt with with my youngest son.   Ian was born  with a unilateral cleft lip and a bilateral cleft palate.  This means that only one side of the lip was affected, but both sides of the palate were cleft.

**********         Orofacial clefts are birth defects in which there is an opening in the lip and/or palate (roof of the mouth) that is caused by incomplete development during early fetal formation.

Cleft lip and cleft palate occur in about 1 or 2 of every 1,000 babies born in the United States each year, making it one of the most common major birth defects. Clefts occur more often in children of Asian, Latino, or Native American descent.

The good news is that both cleft lip and cleft palate are treatable. Most kids born with these can have surgery to repair these defects within the first 12-18 months of life.

The complex needs of a child with cleft lip and cleft palate are best met by an interdisciplinary team of professionals from various specialities who work together. This is a standard of care that begins soon after the child’s birth and continues to adulthood.

The members of the cleft lip and palate treatment team include:

geneticist
pediatrician
plastic surgeon
ear, nose, and throat physician (otolaryngologist)
oral surgeon
orthodontist
dentist
speech-language pathologist
audiologist
nurse
social worker
psychologist
team coordinator       **********

I had a natural childbirth, so I was fully aware when Ian was born.  The moment he was born, there was a hush over the delivery room.  I asked the doctor to show me the baby.  He then held him up for me to see.  I was prepared to see another sweet baby boy…but not prepared for what I was faced with.  I went into shock and don’t remember much of the next few minutes.  But, that passed quickly enough and Don and I had to quickly come to terms with how to care for this baby boy.  I knew nothing about clefts. I had not even seen an unrepaired one before, even through all of nursing school.  But, I was soon to find out way more than I ever desired to know.  As the info says above, the path to correction includes many different areas.  And, depending on the severity, the path can be a long, drawn out road.  Ian’s first surgery was when he was 3 months old, to repair his lip.  At 14 months his palate was repaired.

He has had revisions, repairs to fistulas, bone grafts to the gums, major orthodontics, and the list goes on and on.  He has had 12 operations with the last one being just 2 years ago.

We were blessed to be led to a wonderful program at the University of NC in Chapel Hill.  They have performed all but 2 of his surgeries…and led Ian to another excellent doctor in Birmingham for his last 2 procedures.  Will there be more?  At this point, we are not sure.  As Ian is 31 now, these decisions are in his hands.

As you know, children can be cruel…sometimes without meaning to.   Don and I decided that we would be proactive about this so that Ian would be prepared when the time came that someone would mention his scar.  We explained to him that his face did not finish growing before he was born, and so the doctor just had to sew it up…just like when you get a rip in your pants.  Because we felt that his speech would be the most noticeable thing to draw attention to the problem, he started in speech therapy at age 18 months…right when he was learning how to form words.  He had to learn how to talk without sounding nasal.  And, we and  his speech therapist were very firm with him on this.  He had to learn the proper way to speak.  And, he did beautifully!  He has no hint…and never has had of nasal speech that is sometimes associated with clefts.

We prayed from the very first days that God would bless Ian with a personality that would outshine his physical appearance, and He answered us by giving him a bold, fun loving spirit. Never one to meet a stranger, he talked to everyone.  He had that fighting spirit from day one.  But, the day did come when some of his friends in kindergarten started asking him why he had that scar on his lip…why was it there?  Ian handled it beautifully.  He went to his teacher and asked her if he could tell his whole class something.  She let him…and she told me later that this is what he said.  “I have a scar on my lip because my face didn’t finish growing, so the doctor sewed it up.  It’s just a little scar.  So don’t ask me again!”  And, that was that.  Nothing else was ever said that we know of.  His friends grew up knowing why and it has never made any difference!

Ian is VP of a graphic design and advertising agency in Birmingham.  He is married  and has a beautiful stepson, Jackson.  To this Mother, he is as handsome as he can be…and his wife, Tina, thinks so too!

As hard as it was raising three boys…even without major medical issues…great lessons were learned.  I think that every crisis we encounter is in our lives to teach us a lesson.    The greatest tragedy is failing to learn.  Because the boys and their brothers had major medical issues…it taught them to be kind and loving to those who looked or acted differently.  We  learned how to pray…specifically for what we needed.  I would make a poster and put it on our refrigerator with 2 columns…WHAT WE NEED and WHAT GOD DID.  As needs were met, we filled it in and it was a tangible reminder that God will do what He says He will do!  He doesn’t promise to give us what we WANT…just what we NEED.    When you have the evidence staring you in the face everyday, it’s hard not to know the truth of His words!  We learned to search the Bible for verses that would speak to us.  When Adam was facing one of his operations, we found the verse that says  He will always be with us wherever we go.  This concerned him and he said I just wish He would pat me on the shoulder so I would know that He’s really there.  I boldly told him that God could do that.  “Just wait,” I told him,” you will feel Him.  He will pat you on the shoulder.”  So, his last words to me as he went into surgery were, “Are you sure He is going to be there?”  “I promise!” I said.  And, I did some powerful praying asking God to let that little 6 year old boy feel His hand.  When Adam was brought back to the room, still a little groggy, the very first words out of his mouth were, “Mama, He was there!  He patted me the whole time!”  How can you not believe in the presence of God when He answers prayers like this.  Such a tiny thing…but my God is aware of all His children and everyone of their needs!

It became one of our favorite teaching tools through out their time at home to ask, “What lesson did you learn?”  no matter if it was a problem with friends or school or illness.

Lest I give you the wrong impression…there were also tears and questions and anger and frustration.  There were times we cried out that we were angry and that God was not fair!   There were times I wanted to run away and hide from it all.  I freely told God just how I felt.  “Why did you do this to us?”  And, you know…God listened and He heard me and He understood.  He knew my feelings before I even told Him.  He told me to unload my burdens to Him…and I did.  And still do.  He listens.  He holds me.  He comforts me.  And, He gives me grace and mercy and peace.

And, I must mention in closing that there is also another special day that is near to our hearts…

National Rare Diseases Day!

And this would include my third son, Alex.  He was diagnosed with Cerebellar Atrophy when he was in the eighth grade and his life was never the same.  There is very little research about the disease.  Most of what is known is how it affects people in the long run.  It is extremely rare for it to strike a young person, usually being diagnosed in middle age.  There is no treatment…only managing symptoms.  Alex is in severe pain daily, has very little balance, sees double all the time and has nystagmus…which is the eye jumping continuously.  It is not a disease that affects the mind  in any way…only physical traits.  The National Rare Disease Day is held annually on February 28, which happens to be Don’s birthday.

Just a little info:

***a disease is considered RARE if it affects less than 200,000 at any given time

***there are over 7000 Rare Diseases identified in America

***there are approximately 30 million people in the US who suffer from a rare disease…that is 1 in 10 Americans

***50% of these are children

***50%  of the diseases do not have any organization for information or support for research

One Sunday night Don was asked to give his testimony in our church.  He stood and gave praise to God for his healing of Adam.  He told how thankful we were that God was meeting all our needs with Ian.  And, he said how thankful we were that our middle son was healthy and strong.  Less than 2 years later, Alex was diagnosed with this horrible disease.

We don’t understand…and that is OK.  It is the path that we were asked to walk.  These are the 3 boys…now men, whom God chose to become members of our family.  These are the boys He wanted in our family of grandparents and aunts and uncles.  These are the boys He wanted raised in the knowledge of the Lord at Southside Baptist Church, by staff and church family and friends.   And, so our lives have always been a little different, but so many blessings I could never count them all.  Oh, the wonderful things we know now that we may never have learned any other way.

My heart breaks for those afflicted with Childhood Cancer.  I cringe whenever it is mentioned.  I am so sad when I see a child going through the countless stages of treatment for cleft lip and palate.  I pray that they will have strength and courage for both of these.  And, my heart breaks whenever I hear someone say that they can not find much information on what is wrong with a loved one.  Or they cannot find a doctor to help.  For we have been there.  We have taken Alex all over the US searching for doctors with some…any…information to help us.  But, sadly, it’s just not there.

I urge you to pray for doctors and nurses who deal in illness and disease every day.  I urge you to pray that more research is done on the diseases that sometimes do not even have a name…just a number.  I ask that you teach your children that even though someone may look a little different, or talk a little different, or have a bald head, or can’t walk without falling…inside they have feelings just the same as they.

And, I should like to encourage you that if you find yourself in any of these situations or other medical crisis,,,the strength you need will be there.  Just ask.  There will be hard days, for sure.  But look!  You will be surprised to see how many people God will use to meet your needs.  Keep a record.  It will amaze you what God will do.  I can tell you this for sure….in the midst of sorrow…there will come joy.  There will come joy!

May God bless all those that suffer today.  And, may I never take for granted the blessings we have.  I pray that He keeps my heart tender to always be concerned about others and be willing to share and help in ways He puts in front of me.  Say an extra prayer today for those children dealing with hurts and pain.

I hope maybe this post has enlightened you a little.  Sorry for the length, but it is what it is.       Isaiah 46:4

8/28/2014

This morning I walked back into the building where I spent 20 years of my life…teaching little ones about the world around them and the God who made it all, teaching them to sing praises to God and delight in the movement of their bodies.  I retired 5 years ago, and I think I have thought of the children and my fellow teachers almost every day since then.  Today, I took my youngest grandson in for the first time.

See, this is a magical place.  It is a school where the child is wrapped up in a warm blanket of love and care and direction.  There are rules and consequences, as there should always be.  But everything here is filtered through God’s plan for teaching and growing little ones into men and women who will one day serve Him.  The director leads the rest of the teachers with an attitude of kindness and gentleness….firmness and fairness.  And all the teachers follow her lead.  Every child is guided to a place of understanding with kind hugs and sweet smiles from their teachers.  And, to be real…sometimes this includes sitting in time out or by the fence at recess.  And, perhaps even a call to parents.  What else would you expect from a lively, excited group of 3, 4, and 5 year olds?  And, don’t we all need to be guided back into line at times when we decide to ‘go our own way’?

There is music…which was my area way back when.  Now songs and marching and dancing and games are taught by a wonderful teacher who makes me so proud.  There are chapel lessons each Friday where the whole school comes together to sing and learn Bible stories.

My sweet Levi went for his first day of Preschool last week.  His Mom and Dad took him.  I didn’t go.  Except in my heart.  This was a time for them…and I knew my time would come soon.  I wanted to watch that baby strut into his classroom and find his place by his name at the table.  I knew there would most likely be a few tears…not from Levi, but from Suzanne!  And, there were.  But, Levi never looked back.  We, his extended family, are so proud of the way in which he meets people and new things…life, really… head on.  And, most always with a smile from ear to ear.  He’s ready to explore and grow and learn.  And, our hearts are overjoyed that God has seen fit for First Presbyterian Preschool to be that place.  Now he does have a few things to learn about the sharing bit and pushing folks out of the way if they are standing in a place he feels is meant for him….but that will come.  He’s three.  He’s a little boy.  He has much to learn.

(That’s him in the hat!)

I think when God said that we are to “train a child in the way he should go” He means much more than just teaching.  I think it applies to where he spends his time.  I think it applies to what he watches on TV and movies.  I think it applies to what books are made available for him.  I think it applies to what games he plays on a tablet.  I think it means we are to keep him in an environment that is filled with those things that we hold dear….those things that God told us were the right ways to live.  If our young children are not spending time in those places and with those people who believe the same way…it is because it is not important to us.  Or that we are lazy.  Because it just takes a little effort to do.  As Christian parents and grandparents, this is our command from God.

I know it is much harder to control that as children grow.  I raised three boys who were not always where I wanted them to be, nor doing what I wanted them to do.    But, there also comes that time when they must make their own decisions, and follow their own hearts.  And, they, then, must live with the consequences of those decisions.

Preschool education is all about laying a foundation… especially in teaching a child about God, His wonders, His world, His rules.  Knowing that people are happy when they tell stories from the Bible teaches that the Bible is a ‘good book’.  Learning thoughts from God’s Word lends a familiarity that will be remembered when they are old enough to read the Bible for themselves.  Singing songs about God and Jesus and the natural world all add layer upon layer of  information upon which will eventually lead a child to be comfortable enough to always want to know more.  These things have a way of being ‘hidden in their hearts’ and pulled to the surface when they are needed.  (Has that ever happened to you?  Something traumatic or stressful happens and immediately a Bible verse or a hymn or Christian song will pop into your mind?    It happens to me quite a lot.  I may not can quote chapter and verse, but I know what it says!)

It behooves us, therefore, to make their foundations solid.  To filter all they see and do.  And, when they do stumble upon something that we don’t think is appropriate (and it WILL happen)  we must have an explanation to satisfy them as to why it is not acceptable.

Well, this was not supposed to turn into a sermon.  But, sometimes words and thoughts come as I am writing and I feel compelled to share.  So, please forgive the ‘preachy parts.”  That does not mean I don’t fully believe every word I just wrote.  I do.

It is just a blessing and a wonderful, sweet gift from God that my youngest grandson gets to experience all the goodness that is overflowing in his preschool.

(And, yes, that is my favorite outfit he has that he is wearing!  I bought it for him in the spring, and sweet Suzanne let him wear it today just for me!)

 “We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the

Lord, His power,  and the wonders He has done…….

so the next generation would know them,

even the children yet to be born,

and they in turn would tell their children.”   PSALM 78: 4-6

And, here I go…adding numbers to the sixties.  Sixty-one?  Me?  How did I get here?  How did all the years before fade away so quickly?

Memories…I got ’em!  And, I wonder if I am the only one in this world who has random memories just pop into my head.  Sometimes, some long forgotten day or person will come to the fore front and I will relive a day or a feeling from long ago.  Poof!  Then it’s gone.  I wonder where those come from and what triggers them?  Please tell me that happens to you, too.  I will feel oh so much better!

I have been enjoying the day…just me and Levi.  He came in this morning and proceeded to sing me ‘Happy Birthday’.

We made bacon eggs…but he said they were not like Pa’s.  And, they aren’t.   Don beats the fool out of his eggs before he cooks them…I mean, beats the fool out of them!  Me, I’m more inclined to break the egg right into the skillet.  Levi put them away, in spite of them not measuring up.

Our next project was to make brownies.  Yes…I know no one in this house needs brownies.  BUT, it IS my birthday, and it’s as close to a birthday cake as I am going to get.  He stirred…I cleaned up the floor.  But, they finally made it to oven.

While we waited for them to cook, we decided a little Play-Doh was in order.  I have a box full of all sorts of goodies to work with in the dough.  He had a ball.  He even made me a birthday cake.  A tiny one…bless his heart…with 3 candles!  I will treasure it forever!  (And, it is perfectly fine that he is still in his pajamas…so am I!)

Brownies out…and cooling.  And, we proceed to the studio, cause Levi had spied some new paints he is dying to paint with.  Yes, I am that LuLu.  I believe that any art experience is a good experience.  Thankfully, Levi agrees.  And, Suzanne is happy cause I only buy washable paint.  Because even though I know neatness counts…when we get into a project…that’s the first thing to be forgotten!  Clothes and body parts should not get in the way of art!!!

Paintings go to the drying place and Levi and I go to the resting place.  I tell him since it’s my birthday, I get to take a nap with him.  He thinks that is such a great idea.  I do , too.  And, so we nap.  After he wiggles and turns and snuggles and flips and flops and kisses again!  It’s perfect!

Up from rest…and brownies to taste.  Oh, yum! They are the best brownies ever.  EVER!  We had 3!

******And since the very first thing this morning…before I even got up…my phone has chirped and chirped and chirped.  Levi began asking what it was after he heard several.  So, I told him it was my friends saying, “Happy Birthday!”  So, each time I heard a chirp, I would hear Levi say, “It’s your friend, LuLu!”  And, then he would ask me the name.    This happened about 125 times.  So, each and every one of you who sent me a greeting yesterday on FB or message, or text mail…was thought about and talked about by this grandmother and her grandson!  (Except the ones that came after 8 pm…it was such a busy day, that I hit the hay around then.  However, I got chirps until way after 11 pm!  What a blessing you were to me yesterday!******

Soon, Suzanne came to pick up Levi.  He went to the car and came back with the most beautiful carved  wooden pumpkin!  It is so cool!   Suzanne tested a brownie and then they were on their way to run errands and head home.  I sat down at the computer and began writing this account.  Don is out of town at a business meeting so it was quiet .  And, Alex has been quiet all day.

Then I heard a car horn and in a moment…a knock on the front door.  (The garage is forever closed off to the elements now…SSSSSS! , remember?)  When I checked, it was Suzanne and Levi…holding a box of Gigi’s cupcakes!!!  So, I didn’t have to make brownies for my cake after all!  The cupcakes were so yummy and Levi was beside himself surprising me with them!  See the great pumpkin?

I had sweet phone calls and fun cards and a wonderful day.  No big party…no big fuss made.  Just a quiet day, full of activity and full of love from family and friends.  Just the things that really matter… home and hugs and happiness.  And, chocolate…makes any day a little more special!