Making memories

Forget the lists, today was a day to make memories. Stef & Erica spent the night with us last night and today was filled with things they wanted to do. I was awakened at 8:00 to the sound of two little girls playing with Care Bears ... bears who talk. I quietly went into their room & shushed them because their Papa was still sleeping. We three then headed downstairs for Cheerios, the breakfast of champions, and Grandma's who have no other cereal in the house. Erica volunteered to wash the dishes and then volunteered Stef to dry them. Good girl. They got their baths, got dressed and after a few minutes of HGTV we went to the basement for crafts and sewing.

They painted on the saucers we're going to use to make wind-chimes. We got the idea at the Wyandotte street fair this summer and while ours won't look exactly like the ones we saw, they will be excellent none-the-less because they are the creative works of two of our girls. I did some alterations on Erica's Halloween costume...she's a mermaid this year. After learning that my sewing machine did not like the fabric, I ended up finishing it by hand. I am very glad I know how to sew and the girls have told me more than once "Gramma, you can fix anything."

We had lunch and the girls attempted to 'teach' their Papa some things pertaining to school lessons and he was not a good student. "Bad" as Stef said, he was just 'bad'. They helped him pull up tomato plants to put in the compost and then we had a snack on the front porch. They went with me to take Miss Oma to her sister's in Lincoln Park and once we got home, it was time for them to go home. Their Mama works tonight and wanted to spend time with them too.

Indeed, today was a day to forget all the lists. There just might come a day when our girls won't want to spend this much time with us and as Fred said "let's enjoy them while we can." Housework and all my to-do lists will wait. Little girls grow up. Play with them as long as you can. Sing silly songs and tell stories and eat grilled cheese sandwiches and have fudge-covered cookies for dessert as often as they want to. Relax and enjoy the trip and the people God has given us to travel with.

Thank you girls for making Gramma's day a wonder-filled one!

How quiet is your soul?

Psalm 131:2 is one that our teacher in ladies Bible study shared with us last night and it says


"Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me."

Others were: Mark 6:31 "And He said to them, Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while. For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat." Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

After the busyness of this week, every verse Sandy shared spoke directly to me and I was thankful I was there to hear them. Yesterday proved to be almost as busy as the day before. Catching up from Tuesday's list only added to yesterday's but I found myself taking the time to bring troubling thoughts to Christ, asking Him to devour the enemy for His name's sake over my thoughts. What a difference it makes to stop, quiet ourselves and seek Him.

As I was doing housework today my mind began to run and ramble again. Rather than allow it to take charge however, I stopped and quieted myself and remembered the verses from last night. I walked outside and took a deep breath of air and looked at the beautiful sunshine before coming back inside to mopping and vacuuming. The precious Lord brought two specific thoughts to my mind as I worked today:

#1. Do what you can the best you can and don't fret about what you can't do

#1. You cannot get everything done in one day

Simple little thoughts but so needful for me. I cannot work as I used to. I was born into a family where women washed their clothes on washboards; mopped on their hands & knees; ironed nearly every stitch of clothing the family had; grew gardens and canned food for the winter. I helped my Mom work from the time I was old enough to hold a broom or a sibling on one hip. Sometimes we did both! Being the oldest of 8 meant you worked the best you could to help your Mom. Coming from that to a place in life where it's difficult to push a vacuum and use a mop is challenging to me. I want to do what I used to do but I physically can't. It is at those times that my mind begins running to and fro, seeking to devour me with 'what if's and why not's'; should's, could's, & oughta's.'

It is at these times I must remember what Sandy asked at the beginning of class last night:

"How quiet is your soul?" It is at these times I must make time to come away, if only for a minute or two and remember whose I am and who is in charge of absolutely everything. It is our undoing when we rush and hurry, thinking we're accomplishing something of importance.

I am taling to me as I write these words. I am again telling myself that I need to become more like Mary and release the Martha that holds on so tightly at times.

May each one reading this find time to 'come away' and be still and know that He is God.