The blaring radio alarm jolted me from a deep sleep. Slapping the annoying electronic device wildly in the dark while trying to work free from the entanglement of bedding must have looked like an octopus escaping a fishing net. Finally, quietness was restored and I snuggled back for a few more winks before starting my day. Rolling over on my side I cracked one eye open and came nose to nose with a rather large, big eared, dark, fuzzy creature. “Mickey Mouse, how did you get in here?” Oh yes, Lucy was there too, feet side up – head under the blankets. And I started to laugh. How in the world did I arrive at this in my middle years, the supposedly easy years?
God has many surprises for us and He gave me the golden egg with this surprise. Filling my nest when it should be emptying was one of His greatest unexpected joys in my life. I love this little girl who keeps my kitchen messy, loses my shoes when she clunks around in them, drags all sorts of furry friends into my bed (thankfully they are all stuffed and not alive!), and says the funniest things to me. In honor of her German heritage I had playfully called her my little Fraulein. Not missing a beat she replied back to me, “Ok, I be your frog wine.” I laughed, she laughed, then we both laughed deliriously together. All the bleary eyed nights of newborn feedings, fretful fevers, atomic diaper changes, teething slobber, pack-nstow baby-on-the-go endeavors, toddler melt downs in the middle of aisle five, and a host of other adventures in child rearing have added a sweet richness to my life that I wouldn’t trade for all gazillions of bazillions in the world. My grand-girl makes my life truly grand.
Oh yes I get tired, much more than when my boys were coming along – but hey, two decades does make a difference in my giddy-up. I often fret over the future; “Will she understand when she gets older her unique family structure? Will I be able to keep up with her physically” And then I remember a couple of other mothers who made it and they were older than me. My sisters of old, Sarah and Elizabeth, know what I am talking about. God provided all that they needed to bring up their special boys and I know He will give me all I need to bring up my special girl. Settled with that thought I peek under the blankets at the tousle-haired wonder sleeping next to my side.
Thank You Lord for Mickey Mouse, frog wine and Lucy. You know what You are doing and I rest with that. Thanks for the tons of laughs we’ve already had and the thousands more to come. And when the tears fall, as surely they will, I know Your hands will brush them away and hold us close till the sun comes out again. Heavenly Father, help me lead this little one to Jesus. Uh oh, I think the princess is waking up…
