Children's Children

I looked up from my nap to see 4-year-old Maddie tentatively touching her Pa Pa's arm while he was asleep in his chair. She was wearing my glasses halfway down her nose like she has seen him wear his.

We are definitely bonding during this week of our visit! At lunch Maddie declared to us with a bounce of her red curls, "I think you should move here." That was after Pa Pa had teased that he was taking her and her 6-year-old sister Anne-Marie home with us. She went to ask her daddy if she could go, and came back with the proclamation: "I have good news and bad news!"

Then dramatically she said, "The bad news is that he said I couldn't go, but the good news is that I might go next time!" Not having seen these grandchildren in almost five months, we are amazed and delighted at the knowledge and wit that pops out of them like berries on the popcorn trees we had in Mississippi!

Today in the car Maddie was amusing herself by singing an off-key version of "Mary Had a Little Lamb." I sang along finishing with the phrase "Its fleece was white as snow." "The hair or fur of a sheep is called 'fleece,'" I explained, to which she replied, "No, their fur is called 'wool!'" Duh!

We were pleasantly surprised to find that our visit co-incided with a graduation ceremony for Anne-Marie on Sunday as she moved from the church's nursery department to Kids' Church. The small-fry were gowned in royal blue graduation robes with requisite mortar boards balanced precariously on their bobbing heads. They were formally recognized by the congregation, and to our delight, Anne-Marie was chosen to pray before they took their seats. Her little-girl voice rang clear and strong over the large audience in her brief, but articulate prayer. Be still, my heart!

Each graduate was presented with a Beginner's Bible, and I asked my granddaughter to read a portion to me when we got home. I was amazed! She read with expression and proper inflection, not tripping over words like "Israelites," "support," "battle," or heroes' names, as the sentences slid smoothly from her tongue.

Well, she is home-schooled, and church is a large part of her life. What can I expect?