Gathering

Smilingly, our son Jamie approached me and put his arm around me.  Our family visiting here for their niece's wedding had just finished a happy time of food and fellowship at a nice restaurant in town and were bidding each other good-night as they all went to their  hotel rooms.

I looked up questioningly at Jamie, who chuckled and said, "Isaac told me, 'Go give your mom  and dad a hug.'" Isaac is their 5-year-old, who doesn't say much but thinks ahead.  I had to laugh at the little guy's thoughtfulness of his Mimi and Pa-Pa. Not getting to see us very often, maybe our youngest grandchild was a little bit shy.

It reminded me of our visit to their home in Texas a few months ago. I  had brought small gifts for the three grand kids, which they opened with excitement and were admiring, when Isaac disappeared. Shortly he came back with an odd assortment of gifts he had gathered for each of us, wrapped in Kleenex and put into tiny containers of various sizes.

After the Saturday evening wedding, most of our out-of-town visitors went to church with us on Sunday morning. After the kiddos were sent to various class rooms, our grown-up kids came to the Berean class where Howard was substituting for the regular teacher.  It was such a joy to have them there and to be able to introduce them to our church friends!

Going into the sanctuary for the main service, a teacher saw me and remarked, "A little red-haired girl named Madeleine knew all the answers in class! That girl is smart!"

"Yes, she loves to read,"  I beamed at the compliment to our granddaughter. He said he believed it, and couldn't say enough about her!

Her 12-year-old sister, who plays the cello at school, discovered a violin at our house and soon was producing passable music on it, also strumming on Pa-Pa's guitar! I love to see the progress of learning in the new generation!

It was hard to see everyone leave to their far away homes, but we have wonderful memories, reminded by the stray football beside a tree where the Great-grands, Jaxon and Mason, played or the stray ball or plaything left by the little girls, Lainey, 3, and Lacey, 8 months. 

God bless us everyone!