Category Archives: Children

Dee

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When our firstborn, Nelson, was still a toddler, we decided to buy him his first pet, the same pet most young parents often start with: a goldfish. Except for sea monkeys, nothing could be easier.

Every time little Nelson pushed a chair up to the kitchen counter to see his fish, he’d study the water-filled tank and say, “Dee-dee!” (his word for “drink”). And that’s how Dee got his name.

SANY0053As most new parents do, we considered our young offspring to be especially bright, so we carefully showed him how to shake the fish food into the water, just two quick shakes each day. Nelson  seemed to understand, following through exactly as I’d told him.

Then one day I came into the kitchen and found him kneeling on the counter, enthusiastically shaking Comet cleanser into Dee’s tank. He looked at me without the slightest bit of guilt, proud of himself for doing what I’d taught him. “Dee eat!” he said with a smile, although Dee was invisible in the cloudy green water.

CometDee’s short life came to a quick conclusion after that. Despite an immediate cleaning of the tank, within hours he was belly-up. Nelson had no trouble summing up the situation: “Dee ni-night.”

I’m sure there are times when God instructs me much the same as I instructed Nelson, hoping I’ll listen carefully and diligently follow through. Just as Dee suffered as a result of Nelson’s mistake, I often suffer from my own mistakes… or from plain old disobedience.

Sometimes God’s instructions seem too difficult (or unpleasant) to follow, so I flat-out disregard them and do what seems right to me, even if it’s the opposite of what God said. Such foolishness always results in disaster, maybe immediately, maybe later.

Goldfish.There is one big difference between my instructions to Nelson and God’s instructions to me. Our toddler wasn’t really capable of understanding the feeding ritual for a fish, so Dee’s demise was probably my fault. But God’s instructions are always rightly-matched to my ability to follow through.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you.” (Psalm 32:8)

Praising and Praying with Mary

  1. I’m thankful that little Anders had a successful first 24 hours at home.
  2. Vacationing in Florida this week has been delightful and nourishing.
  3. My heart is aching tonight for good friends who just learned their 50-something husband and father has “cancer everywhere.”

Freezin’ Fun

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Here in Michigan, our weather is really cold. Freezing, in fact. Actually, below freezing. Tonight we’ll go down to – 8 actual temperature.

Although Jack loves the cold and develops a thick coat much like a bear’s, I’m not a fan. But that wasn’t always true. The authorities in our childhood neighborhood encouraged children to play outdoors regardless of the weather, especially so when it was extra-cold. Once we got a good cold snap, the fire department would bring their high-volume hoses to a steep hill near our home and flood it till it had become a five inch-thick slab of straight-down glare ice.

Ready... set...This kid-magnet was nick-named “Suicide Hill” by firemen and children alike, though no one actually died there. It dropped down to a broad, icy beach that led to Lake Michigan’s shoreline (visible here as we slide down backwards). If we aimed just right, we could sail all the way there. Never mind that we had to dodge trees and concrete-encased bar-b-q grills along the way.

Mom, ever-ready with her camera, encouraged us to head for Suicide Hill often, sometimes taking the whole church youth group with her. Below zero? No matter. Can’t find a good sled? Go down on your rear-end.

Whee!We learned to balance with expertise, standing straight up on our clumsy buckle-galoshes all the way down the hill at high speeds. Yes there were accidents, but nothing with permanent consequences.

Yesterday I stood in my kitchen listening to a repair man describe the bumps and bruises he endured during childhood, ex- pressing gratitude for the freedom to learn by experience. “Today’s kids are stopped at every turn from having good old-fashioned fun,” he said,  “all in the name of safety.”

Immediately I thought of our heavenly Parent and the boundaries he sets for us… or doesn’t. Just as our parents let us freely experiment in the great outdoors, God allows us to do the same, never protecting us with complete safety. He gives us free rein to make decisions and follow desires however we please, opting in and out of wisdom. And he lets us experience all kinds of natural consequences, both good and bad, with the hope we’ll learn from them.

Natural consequences of our own making can be dramatic and life-altering. We’re forced to pick up baggage we might never have had to carry, had we asked our Father which decision to make in the first place. But following our own lead (often an “expensive” process) can teach us quite effectively, too.

Recently my sister, brother, and I took a drive to Suicide Hill to see if kids were still enjoying the same kind of fun we’d known. Despite the winter weather, there was no ice on the hill. Actually, the whole area had been permanently fenced off from the public.

Trudging upThe only glare-ice hills today’s kids get to experience, I’m afraid, are on video games.

“There is hope for your future, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 31:17)

Oh dear…

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IMG_5121This afternoon, as Emerald and I were playing in our basement, she asked to sit atop the dryer so she could reach 6 hooks, each with a toy hanging from it. She’s played with those since she was 8 months old, and at two years still loves the idea of hooking and unhooking them from their assigned spots.

When Hello-Kitty went tumbling behind the dryer by accident, she asked if I could get her. So as grandmas often do for their grands, I determined to succeed no matter what. Tugging at the dryer, I found it moved out of its parking spot easily, and in just a minute I was standing behind it in foot-deep lint that had quite a few mysterious objects embedded in it.

Thankfully Hello-Kitty was on top, which quickly satisfied Emerald. But as she sat watching me dig for other treasures, she heard me repeatedly say, “Please, no animals…. Please, no animals.”

IMG_5119Up came socks, rags, dish cloths, baby toys, a small towel, a 220 electrical cord, and a pillow case I’d been missing for 3 years. Then I confidently scooped up a big wad of lint but suddenly found myself staring into the face of a stiff, plump chipmunk! My immediate jumping and squealing caused poor Emerald to say, “Are we ok? Are we ok? Are we ok?”

But we weren’t. When I finally regained composure and bent down for another handful of lint, it had a second deceased chipmunk in it! At that point we aborted the project, grabbed Hello-Kitty, and headed upstairs.

Life is full of surprises. When the good ones come (a raise at work, a beautiful day, a gift from a friend), we get happy. When the bad ones come (a critical comment, a big bill, an unexpected diagnosis), we squeal with objections.

God wants us to live on an even keel rather than to be controlled by our emotions, but we often find ourselves succumbing to tears or glee based on what’s going on around us. Scripture says our flesh and God’s Spirit are often at odds within us, so it’s up to us to choose which voice we’re going to listen to. His advice is to walk by the directives of the Spirit, which will always help us win over our unpredictable flesh. (Galatians 5:16)

Lint!Many hours later, after Emerald had departed with her Mommy, I returned to the scene of my screams and dealt with clean-up. May the incident be a regular reminder that “in quietness and in trust shall be my strength.” (Isaiah 30:15)

“A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise [person] quietly holds it back.” (Proverbs 29:11)

Praising and Praying with Mary

  1. Little Anders goes home tomorrow after 3 weeks in the NICU. Pray for a safe, peaceful transition.
  2. I’m so grateful to God that our time in Florida is being blessed and that I’m feeling so good!