E-Boy
November 8, 2008 | My Joys
This wonderful little boy is my grandson Elijah. He’s the second child and only son of my middle daughter Carolyn and her husband Jeremy. Elijah is five years old and is in Kindergarten this year. 
Now, I know what I’m about to write will sound like a typical obnoxious, boasting grandmother, but I promise you it’s all true: there is nothing not to like about E-boy.
He is tender hearted. He is compassionate and gentle with his little sisters. How many five year-old boys would truly rejoice over a baby sister’s first word (“hot!”)? Elijah leans close to baby Audrey when she tries out new words, smiles hugely and encourages her, and probably makes her feel like her big brother thinks she’s really amazing.
He loves to draw and create and I have never heard him say “I’m bored”. Elijah makes great things out of Legos that really do look like what he says they are: ships, dinosaurs, robots, swords, dragons, and castles with towers. He and his older sister Clara often sit at Grandpa and Grandma’s kitchen table with blank pieces of paper and crayons, and they’re happy and content to draw for a long time, and to look up occasionally and watch the birds that come to the feeder outside the window. There’s a peaceful calmness about Elijah that isn’t often seen in little boys his age.
Our E-boy is also funny and silly, quick to laugh and to make others laugh. He’s also really good at cleaning up when it’s time to put the toys away. He does it quickly and without complaining.
When I pick Elijah up at his house to bring him back to spend the night at Grandpa and Grandma’s, he runs out of his front door with glee and throws himself at me, he’s so excited for our time together.
I asked Elijah’s daddy to give me a couple of words he thought best described his son, and he said, “Willing and brave.” I see these traits in Elijah, and pray that God weaves them into the very fiber of his character as he grows. Elijah’s name means The LORD is my God, and as he learns to walk with Jesus throughout his life, I believe God will help him to be a willing and brave man in his generation.
I told my grandchildren that when they look at the moon and stars in the night sky, to think thoughts of the fun times they’ve had and will have with their grandparents. I remind them that when they see the moon, Grandma can see the same moon at the same time, even though we’re apart. I tell them that when I see the moon, I send my love winging its way to them, and am thinking of them and praying for them. Elijah listened intently to this and later told me sweetly, “Grandma when I see the moon, I think of you and all the love there is at your house.” Even as I type this I have tears.
Oh, such a tender and beloved boy he is. And even at this young age, he’s a boy of substance, willingness and courage. He’s a blessing in every sense of the word to his family, and one of God’s most extravagant gifts to me. I’m very proud to introduce you to my grandson Elijah David.
Being a mom
November 6, 2008 | My Jottings
It’s Thankful Thursday again.
Today my heart is full as I think about my three dear daughters. Nothing has changed my life more radically than motherhood. There has been no greater challenge, no more effective or humbling teacher, and for me, no deeper love.
Nothing means more to me than their well-being. I would give my life in an instant for any of them.
With tears streaming, I thank God for gracing my life with children. I thank Him for my wonderful, beautiful, loving, smart and treasured daughters – Sharon Lindsay, Carolyn Beth and Sara Yvonne.
Sara, Sharon, Carolyn
Are you thankful for anything or anyone today?
Book Two in my Top Five
November 4, 2008 | My Jottings
I’ve enjoyed reading about some of your book favorites, and I found myself mmm-hmmming in agreement to so many. I have three takers on our book giveaway so far, and six books to give! So maybe there are a few more of you who might just be brave and share your favorite book or two with our myriad blog readers. 🙂
Another book that I could read over and over again is Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.
If you haven’t read it, you really must. I first read it in ninth grade in Mrs. Grimley’s Novel class, and groaned when I saw the drabness and thickness of the book. But I wanted an A in the class, so read it, and half enjoyed it.
I read Les Mis again in 1985, and was floored by its scope, and saw things at age twenty-eight that of course I had missed when I was fourteen.
I read it for the third time a few years ago and marveled at the book and its message. I recommend it every time the opportunity arises. It’s worth the time.
In January of 2007, my husband and I pinched ourselves as we sat with dear friends in the elegant Queen’s Theatre in London, and watched the breathtaking production of the musical Les Miserables on that famous revolving stage. When the final curtain went down, we weren’t the only ones with tears on our faces. What a memory.
Sometimes there are huge books I want to read, but because of different involvements I just don’t want to start on 1000 pages during the school year. So I plan for longer “Summer Reads”. Maybe you could make Les Miserables a summer read, or a vacation read.
Last time I read it, it made me a little Les(s) Miserables. You might find it helps your mood too.
The Calvary Road
November 1, 2008 | My Jottings
I love to talk books. I can’t think of a time in my entire life when I haven’t been reading a book or three. Right now I’m reading a unique and delightful one called Cider With Rosie, recommended by a dear friend in northern Scotland.
But I would like to know what books have touched you the most. If you could only have five books to read for the rest of your life, what would they be? Which ones would you want to read over and over? I’m assuming for some of you, The Bible is one of them. It is the first one I would choose. (Hebrews 4:12)
What else would you choose? Tell about one (or more) of the books you would pick, and why.
One of my choices would be The Calvary Road by Roy Hession. It was recommended to my husband and me years ago by a godly friend. Michael and I read it out loud together, slowly. We both wept our way through the pages. And it changed our lives. It’s one of those books that needs to be read and reread every year. I’m at a place in my life where I need a balm and a true course, and I think it’s time for me to read it again.
Even one of my favorite ministries, Community Bible Study, puts this book on their recommended reading list every single year. CBS’s executive director reads The Calvary Road each January, to help set her course for the coming year.
I have other books I would choose, and I will post about those another time. If you’re reading this today, won’t you share with us what your choices would be? What books have made you laugh, given you hope, changed the course of your life, delivered new insight, made you dream? What books would feed your soul if you could read only those for the rest of your life?
I look forward to your answers. And this sounds like a good time for another blog giveaway. I will send a copy of The Calvary Road to every person who comments on this post.
Happy reading,