Precious Moments

When P and I sat down four years ago to decide where we wanted to move after his stint in Tyler, we thought we were sooo smart to settle on Fort Worth, which just happens to be an equidistant 3 to 3 1/2 hours from both of our parents' homes. Little did we know, at the time, that 3 minutes from one of the parents would have been a lot more useful once they became grandparents - and we became in need of someone cheap (read: free) to watch a toddler for an hour here or there during doctor's appointments, childbirth classes, shopping sprees...

But it turns out that the family we do have in this area - aunts and uncles, grandmothers, and brothers and sisters - have been pretty fantastic about meeting those needs for us, and I just couldn't be more grateful for the times they've stepped in to take care of Luke for us. But of course the free babysitting is only an added bonus - and even without it, we are immeasurably blessed to have had so many opportunities to spend time with our family here. 

Since last fall, Luke and I have tried to make regular visits to see each of my grandmothers, both of whom have also landed in this area within the past year or so. Some days those visits are cra-zy. Memaw has a beautiful china cabinet filled with priceless dishes, and it resides about five feet away from the toy boxes that also have a home in her snug living room. And at EO's house (also known as Aunt Cadeeya/Dia and Unkie Joe/Pop's house), Luke is an expert at disappearing into storage rooms or discovering exactly where EO last left her bottle of arthritis cream. Need I say more? 

But Luke is a good kid, and he has caught on pretty quickly when it comes to the various "no-no's" and "oh-my-goodness-somebody-catch-him's." And there's one thing about grandmothers (and aunts): they are slow to judge, and slow to anger - especially when it involves a cute blue-eyed little boy! 

At Memaw's house, Luke always begins the visit by picking up the three angel figurines on her coffee table and bringing them over to Memaw. I'm not sure if this is his version of a hostess gift - or his way of saying, "You'd better keep these in a safer place while I'm hanging out here..." He loves looking at all the wonderful things she has - bird figurines, old photographs, and myriad other pretty objects that she's managed to display so carefully in her small apartment.

Luke and EO

At EO and Dia's house, Luke knows exactly where to find Dia's amazing collection of toys and children's books, and he helps himself to at least half the collection during each visit. But he also loves to play with her refrigerator magnets (something I remember doing as a child) and explore her backyard. Dia has two beautiful granddaughters of her own, so she also has a large collection of "play" jewelry that has made an appearance on more than one occasion. Who doesn't love to wear twenty or thirty long bead necklaces at one time? Luke has also discovered the joy of wearing bracelets - for the sole purpose of seeing how far he can sling them off his arm. (So no worries about that jewelry making him less Boy. It's all still there, I promise.)

Of course, the librarian/reader/teacher in me swells with pride to share that Luke never misses an opportunity to crawl into Dia's lap or to climb up next to EO and have them read to him. That kid just can't get enough of the reading... wonder where that came from? 

Luke and Memaw

Last week, Memaw visited our house, and before I knew it, that sneaky kiddo had snuggled up close with her in the recliner - with a book, of course. She quickly obliged him, and I realized (not for the first time) that our "grandmother" visits, crazy as they may sometimes be, are some of the truly precious moments of our week. I am speechless to express my joy and gratitude that God has placed us in a position to spend time with these women - and that He has given Luke the opportunity to know them in such a special way.

I hope they have enjoyed (not just endured) our visits; they've been an incredible benefit to me, as I've not only been able to share my pride-and-joy with the women I respect most in life, but I've also walked away so many times with precious stories, time-tried and godly wisdom, and the profound encouragement that my grandmothers and aunts have been so generous as to share with me.