Category Archives: Children

It’s what it is.

Posted on by

My granddaughter Emerald is almost two years old and is, like most little ones her age, learning to talk. This is an especially delightful time as those of us listening can tell her little mind is working hard to communicate. One of Emerald’s charming inclinations is to substitute “sh” for “s” :

  • Happy times.balls are “ball-sh”
  • boots are “boo-sh”
  • salt is “shawlt”
  • more is “mo-sh”
  • boogers (she just had a cold) are “booger-sh”

She also practices language by trying to repeat what we say, so she says, “I hep you!” but really means, “I need your help!”

Little by little a toddler adds to her vocabulary and usage by listening to those around her and matching up words with tone of voice, simultaneous action, verbal pitch, and even accompanying moods. Little ones are keen observers of the world around them, and they all have a passionate desire to “be like us.”

ThomasA couple of weeks ago our son Hans and his family visited from England. His wife and four young children all have beautiful British accents, and I watched Emerald watching them. Four-year-old Thomas loved approaching her, bending to her level, cupping his hands around her face and saying, “Hello!” With his sweet accent it came out, “Heh-lau.” Within one day, Emerald was approaching others saying, “Heh-lau” in a perfect mimic.

I remember belonging to a diet group 20 years ago when one of the ladies asked to speak to the group. With tears she told the tale of her three-year-old’s penchant for swearing, listing the “blue” words he liberally used in their home, coupled with lots of anger. “I just can’t stop him!” she wailed. “It’s awful!”

Of course he wasn’t using any words he hadn’t first heard, and that woman’s best move would have been to find out (and hopefully change) what her son was hearing.

All of us take on the characteristics of whomever we hang with, not just linguistically but in other respects, too. That makes choosing a spouse, for example, a heavy-weight decision, and it’s the reason most parents safeguard their children with diligence. Most of all, though, we should each set a guard in front of ourselves.

All of us should want to be careful how we act, what we say, and where we go, because like it or not, we’re being watched. Most importantly, God is watching. So if we consistently work to make choices that please him, he will pour out blessing in abundance, on us and on those watching. And that includes little children who want to “be just like us.”

Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:20

Praising and Praying with Mary

  1. Thanks for praying about my second-to-last chemo tomorrow. Pray they’ll find a good vein without a problem. (My arms are rebelling.)
  2. Pray against flu-like symptoms (fever and achiness) that started after last week’s infusion.

Loosening Our Grip

Posted on by

Back in July when I learned my family of 20 might all be in the same place at the same time come September, I did a little happy dance. This would be a treat we rarely get to have, mostly because 6 of us live in England and 6 in Florida.

As the visit approached, we were especially eager since the 9 young cousins were finally old enough to begin engaging in ways that wouldn’t fade by the time they gathered again:

9 cousinsL to R: Skylar (6) holding Isaac (7 months), Nicholas (5) holding Andrew (15 months), Micah (4), Evelyn (4), Thomas (4), Autumn (2), Emerald ( 23 months).

One thing high on my list of priorities was to get a picture of all 20 of us together, and with a camera inside every phone, I figured that wasn’t asking too much. I even talked to Mary about it. “Hey,” she said. “Your family is already on Stina’s list for the wedding photographer, so it’ll be easy!”

My heart soared.

That, however, was when God entered the conversation, prompting me to think along other lines. “I want you to surrender that picture,” he said. “Let go of that goal.”

“Why?” I said. “It’s coming together effortlessly!”

He gave no reason, but my strong sense was that I should follow his instructions. When I shared with Mary she said, “Oh don’t worry. It’ll get done. You’ll see.”

Sometimes God does this kind of thing though. He waits till we really, REALLY want something badly, then asks us to hand it over to him for what appears to be no good reason.

A picture is a small thing compared to many other things (or people) we could long for, but in my heart I really wanted it. Nevertheless, I began talking myself down. “So, what’s the worst thing that will happen if you don’t get the picture? It won’t be the end of the world, will it? Just do what God wants. If it doesn’t happen, at least you will have been prepared.”

And so, after a good deal of mental haranguing, I gave it up…. just as the stomach flu arrived. On the wedding day, Stina’s photographer did line us up for a picture, but it was less than satisfying, since 2 were home sick. But I heard God whisper, “Being prepared made it easier, didn’t it?” As always, he was right.

The next day, Mary and Bervin invited everyone to return to the wedding site for brunch and a baseball game. Even the bride and groom were there, and we were all enjoying the day when someone said, “Hey, Nymans. How ‘bout a family photo, since you’re all here today?”

Our familyAnd isn’t that just like God? When we surrender something we badly want, he often gives it right back to us.

“Nothing…. will ever be able to separate us from the love of God.” (Romans 8:39)

Come and eat!

Posted on by

Wise women have said the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. I believe it.

Lois cooks.When Nate and I got married, he came to me from a childhood of his mother’s creative cooking, a woman with a lavish cook book collection that she used daily. As a newlywed, I realized I’d have to learn to cook if I was going to make my man happy.

Fortunately there was an effective buffer between Lois’ high-class dinners and my incompetence in the kitchen: university food.

Nate’s memory of those childhood meals dimmed as he ate in college dining halls from 1963 until we married in 1969, and his expectations were wonderfully low.

Dining hallAfter 40 years of cooking thousands of meals for him, I remember only one word of criticism. I’d made a teriyaki stir fry, one of his favorites, but the sauce had turned out thin. So I used a tip from Mom, adding a bit of corn starch to thicken the juices.

When Nate came to the table, he saw what we were having and said, “Mmmmm. Stir fry!”

We all sat down, heaped food on our plates and dug in. Nate had already eaten three forkfuls by the time I took my first. “My word!” I said. “What’s wrong with this stuff?”

That’s when Nate’s criticism came. “I kept trying, because I couldn’t believe it tasted so awful. What did you do?”

“I have no idea,” I said, walking my plate toward the disposal. That’s when I noticed I’d inadvertently “thickened” with baking soda instead of corn starch. After we’d all enjoyed frozen pizza, we had a good laugh over my culinary error.

Although I never did become a skilled cook, I did learn one valuable principle preparing meals for a big family each day. More important than flavor, smell, ingredients, or presentation was volume. Everyone was happier with a full stomach, and filling them up became my #1 priority. Not having enough was worse than having only some of a perfectly balanced meal.

Feasting on the WordThis principle works well with spiritual eating, too. We can hold out for a gourmet feast: a peaceful place to read the Bible, a blank notebook, a pen that works, and a set of commentaries. We can wait to pray until we’re sure of uninterrupted time. But if we do, we’ll always be on the edge of spiritual starvation.

God is sure to deliver soul-food-nourishment as our appetites for him grow. And as long as we continue to eat with him, he’ll make sure there’s always enough.

Scripture refers to its words as milk (for beginners) and meat (for the more advanced) and encourages us to taste it. So apparently the old adage does have some truth to it: the way to a person’s true heart is indeed through the stomach.

“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” (John 6:27)