Granny To Granny

 Granny to Granny By Deena McDaniel Positively Beautiful Blog 5/28/22



 

I know how it feels to see each child without their own rulebook. What worked on baby one is completely different with baby 4. Basics are the same. Keep them alive and help them thrive. All the tiny details of personalities make life lively. Fast forward to the first grandchild. Arlowe Jane born three years ago has captured our heart. Our little “Cactus Blossum” is taking the next big step in our lives. She’s spending the weekend with us!

 

 

Scary and exciting, this adventure is hopefully one of thousands. To be honest I’m a little bit nervous. I’m thinking Arlowe is as well. Granny’s bag of trick has got to be big for this overnighter. My first came last week! Arlowe didn’t want her mom to cut her bangs. Mary, her mom, had been trying to convince her, but it took the Granny touch. “You have to be able to see when you swim in our pool,” I encouraged. OH NO, she requested that I had to cut her hair when she’s visiting…some quick thinking and “Granny’s scissors are broken.” It worked. She’s on her way with her new hairdo.

 

 

 

 

 

What is ahead for us on our first sleepover? Besides swimming, I was thinking I needed advice. Granny to Granny conversations occurred and I was quickly flooded with ideas.

 

 

 

 

We raise our children in the way they should go and when they’re old we pray they won’t depart from it. Proverbs 17:13 keeps us grounded in that very promise. I’d simply revert back to toddler times…mentally!

 

 

 

 

Looking at the “rules” for grandparenting I’m thinking my crown of glory is indeed my gray hair! (Shhh, I do see my glitter highlights peaking through my blond and purple.) Grandparents have influences parents lack.  The dynamic is a gift.

 

 

 

 

The Lord is merciful. Our health and energy are enduring. “We shall rise up on eagle wings…” (Is. 40:31) What lessons are we looking to implant into her heart? Jesus. Arlowe loves going to church with us. During worship you’ll find her hands raised singing. Does she know the God that made her is adoring her worship? No, rather she’s being exposed to the Truth. She’s experiencing the first steps of enlightenment.  No one is able to “trick” someone into believing. God is the one who softens a heart. He alone brings salvation. “No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draws him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”-Jon 6:44

 

 

 

 

Above all else, we pray for our children, grandchildren, and their spouses.  Prayers seem useless and passive even with passionate petitions. But wait. God hears. Listen to a testimony of amazing results!  I’ve been journaling since 1986 when I got married. Flipping through the entries and flying off many pages God’s answered prayers. Our prodigal came home. Jobs were attained. Housing was provided. My marriage was healed and restored. “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”- 1 Corinthians 1:9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be of good courage. God’s working in your life even this very moment. He never sleeps. He never lies. He never forsakes you.  “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you."-Heb. 13:5    We often forget, just how faithful the Lord is to us. Ask the Israelites wandering for 40 years. 

 

 

 

 

 

Share your knowledge.   That’s right granny to granny, friend to friend, granny to grandchild we’re all called to proclaim God’s faithfulness. His faithfulness is in the details as well as the heartbreaking, down on your knees tearful prayers. My fellow granny Debbie laughs and is encouraged when I tell her I pray for parking spaces in crowded lots! Prayers are simply talking to the Lord.

 

 

 

 

Distance isn’t a problem with the Lord. Distance isn’t even a problem with grandparents. We don’t have to write a letter and rely on Pony Express. We don’t have to telegraph. We don’t have to cringe over long-distance phone call expenses. Now we video call! I hope I live long enough to have holograph calls or dare I say transport like StarTek! No matter how you look at it we have the tools to influence our family members.  It’s a bit messy sometimes. No worries. God’s good at clean up. And so is this granny…toddlers have a way of bringing out the custodian in us all. Pick up is easy.  Pick up God’s Book for all the insights and answers to those endless questions. 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  Love Beyond the Grave by Deena McDaniel Positively Beautiful Blog STARVE THE VIRUS OUT we hear. Doing nothing is doing something. We go about our “dailies” and wonder what day it is? “We’re working on retirement muscles.” My husband cheerfully adds. Quite frankly for this stay at home, homeschooling mom, not much has changed. Well, we wash our hands more. We pray more. We swim more! We cook more. We’re blessed beyond measure, but then God blows me away one more time on how much he loves me. The mail arrived. (Read to the end for the knockout punch.) My Dad’s wife Jeannie is a retired kindergarten teacher. She’s 84. Her way of communicating is through letters. When my mom died in 2005, my dad was sure he’d find a new bride with whom he'd live out his golden years and he did. They were married 8 years before Dad died. In those 8 years I’d receive long lengthy letters from Jeannie on how Dad was doing.  Her letters were great because Dad would always simply say he...
Read more

Crayon Ready by Deena McDaniel Positively Beautiful Blog

Image
  Crayon Ready by Deena McDaniel Positively Beautiful Blog     Moving is always a chore. What do you keep and what do you pitch and what do you give away. We’re set to move in the next 2 years and I’m already beginning the transition. Oh, so much is collected over time. God pushes us. My heart is tender thinking how God has orchestrated my children’s homes.   “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?”-Mathew 19:5       Our son Charley recently moved to Tampa, Florida. Cool! He’s on a path to a new career and not too far away that he can’t come home to visit. Then less than two weeks after his move, we find our son-in-law Allan has been offered a dream job in Tampa! He’ll be designing million-dollar homes in the modern architecture designs he excels at doing! Wait for it, there’s more. Rosey and Desmond are wedded on March 12 and are looking to move up north ...
Read more
How Do Stars Fly? By Deena McDaniel Positively Beautiful Blog The whole wide world spins in space with trillions of galaxies so far away we barely can count them all. Then I glance down at the ants crawling around my plants and think about how small they are in relation to the vastness of space. Yeah, I’ve been watching documentaries on telescopes and such. The shows make me laugh because they’re constantly questioning the origin of space. NO banging only speaking. “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.”-Psalm 33:6 I’m ignorant of how the internet functions, and how the magic device (our smartphones) makes the world’s questions answered with one click. My heart soars thinking that I was born at this time and age of technological advancements. Simple air conditioning and sliced bread are relatively new creature comforts as we investigate the world’s timeline. And looking at the rainclouds your mind can be quickly blo...
Read more