Summer Lessons
Even in the midst of COVID, summer on Vancouver Island is a special time of year. But alas, all good things must come to an end. The return of school, the shortening of the evening, the cool mornings, fall mums blooming and yes, even the Spirea starting to show edges of red on the leaf tips, all point to the end of summer. One of the gifts that Carol and I have had every summer for the last few years are visits from our two Alberta grandchildren. Ella was here for three weeks in July and Liam for three weeks in August. So even though we were slightly exhausted and looking forward to adult activities again, it was with a sense of sadness that we marked their departure until next summer. No more ice cream before bed! No one to snuggle up with while watching the morning news! The house seems eerily quiet but even so, it is nice to return to our adult routines and an ability to plan activities that don’t necessarily include a 10 or 7-year-old!
I blogged earlier about the sacred responsibility we have as grandparents to share the story of our lives, our family and most importantly, our faith with our grandchildren. When I look back at this last summer, I marvel at how much we could do even when there was so much we couldn’t do because of COVID. And I am just totally amazed – like blown off my feet – with not how much I taught my grandchildren but how much they taught me. Many of our conversations started with, “Papa, why . . . . ?” “Because I said so”, is not an adequate answer for either a 7 or a 10 year old! Which means long discussions ensued and although the conversations were interesting, it didn’t guarantee an adequate answer.
Why do we respect slugs in the forest and walk around them, are even fascinated by their trail of slime but we hunt them every morning in the flower bed so we can kill them? Do Dahlia’s really have more rights than a slug? Hmmm
Children bring a natural curiosity and sense of awe to everything they do. There is a small bridge on one of my favorite bike trails. I have a new appreciation for it and it is so much more fun to ride across it now if when you come to the top of the small knoll just before the bridge, you yell “BRIDGE” at the top of your lungs and peddle madly down the hill to coast across the bridge. Did you know that it is okay to be peddling along and then skid to a sudden stop to check out a garter snake? And even if it lengthens the time substantially, it is all right to stop every time you encounter a dog, just to ask if it is okay and then take a minute to pet it. Also, if your legs are feeling tired, it is a good idea to stop and eat blackberries!
My granddaughter taught me that it’s perfectly acceptable to set-up the Skip-Bo cards to help your favorite auntie’s next move even though it’s fun to block your Papa! Any day is a good day to bake muffins or molasses ginger cookies. The best way to have a relaxing conversation is while floating on a tube at Saratoga Beach. And you’re never to old for someone to read you a bedtime story!
In Mark 10:15 we read:
“Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”
Children give us eyes to see the world in a way that rearranges our priorities. It allows us to experience the world in a new way and live in the kingdom. Awe for creation, kindness to the creatures we share the earth with, a natural curiosity and respect for our environment, helping the challenged (sorry Aunty Donna!), sharing a meal or in this case muffins or a cookie, and time contemplating life with a loved one. It doesn’t get any better. In this time of COVID it is so easy to get distracted by the economy, unfulfilled travel plans and what the future might hold.
But when we begin to view the world through a child’s eyes, we can see what is important and enjoy life and the abundance that God promises us in the NOW. Right Now! Thank you, Ella and Liam, for an incredible summer and bringing us all just a little closer to the kingdom.
May it be so,
Wayne