I had a chance to hang out with my guys, Blake (5) and Sam (1) last week. When I asked Blake what he wanted to do, it was a definitive "bus" ride. So we gathered up our snacks, Sam's diaper backpack, our bus card and headed downtown. Blake was in charge of the bus card and felt very responsible...after all, he now had the key to get us there and back. I needed to make an office stop on McKinney, then we ate lunch at a subway, walked a while, rode some escalators, rode the rail and then got ice cream as we waited for the bus that was homeward bound. It was a fairly uneventful adventure but for those two, it was enough of an out of the ordinary, everyday routine to satisfy their need to do something a little different. We got home and Sam was wiped out and ready ready for a nap...not in a fussy way but a "please put me in my bed" way. Blake and I worked a couple of puzzles, messed around the house and talked of a time when we would put our bikes on the front brackets of the bus, unload at the park, have a little lunch and return home. Hopefully we will conquer that soon!
But the point of telling this story is that many of you ask me for ideas for your grandchildren. It is not so much what you do with them as it is just being with them. This was not an over the top expensive outing. As a matter of fact, it was an ordinary kind of day for many folks. But we as grandparents, if we are willing to sacrifice our own time, even for a little while, can take even the slightest adventure, and fill it with love, attention and even a few lessons along the way....and quite easily find treasure in the simplest of ways.
Luke 12:34
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Why is it that so many times we are looking for the big hits from God to satisfy us when he has already hit a home run right in our own backyard. There is so much pleasure to be found in the little things that God has placed before us. When we were downtown, we had some left over cheerios and found a patch of pigeons and talk about a smiling pair of boys. They fed them, chased them, watched them fight for food, and then fly away when we got too close. Then there was the Main Street with the fountains. Doesn't sound like much but the boys leaned over the short diagonal walls and watched for a good while the water fountains as they danced in rhythm. These were some of the simple things...the unexpected things, that fill their senses with delight. My senses were filled just by watching them. We just have to take time to notice those things that are before us.
God has placed simple pleasures before us but we get going so fast with our self-demanded schedules and responsibilities that we drive right past them. As grandparents, many of us do have a great deal more flexibility in our schedules than the moms do, so we are able to move a little slower, and have time to set out to discover new horizons, and simple pleasures. But it takes a little initiative and a realization that it doesn't matter if it doesn't come off as a spectacular adventure....it is our wanting to be with them that holds the greatest joy. For when we show our desire to be with them, they in turn will react according to our interest. Isn't that the way we as adults are wired...when someone is attentive to us or to our interests, we tend to gravitate to them.
As children love seeing new things, and going to places they have not been, and enjoying opportunities that are magnets for their curiosity. so are we to be ready when God sends us opportunities that may appear to be simple as first glance but could open up a world of God's adventure at closer look. It comes down to whether or not we are willing to be involved and interested in God's adventures that are before us. The more we allow God to show his interest in us the more apt we are to want to be around him and surrounded by him.
Sam stays pretty close to mom and dad when I am around but on this adventure, I was the only one to turn to, and we had such fun and I got to be the one who who was greeted with smiles and had the lap to sit on. What a joy! And what a joy it must be unto the Lord when he is the only one we can turn to and we turn to him with our heartfelt needs. He is so interested in all that we do, the decisions we make, the people that we hang out with, and the adventures we choose to explore, the obstacles that we have to overcome, and His simple pleasures that we take notice of.
Dear Lord, May we take time to enjoy your backyard blessings and remember to thank you for them. Amen
Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!
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