A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN

I know that is a really "lofty" sounding title to this posting. But my perspective of life is a bit different than most. I experience so much pure "joy" when I am creating, whether it be in the kitchen rustling up some grub, trying a new recipe, or creating in my craft area, or watching the bulbs spring forth out of the ground where I spent 3 full days last fall digging and preparing the soil and planting 250 of them...or taking care of our two grand daughters. They make my heart smile and sing!

I had that "joyfull" experience from April 11 through the 20th when we took care of Emma and Matti here at the condo 24-7 while their parents were "cruising the Caribbean". I know some would say, "Didn't you get worn out?" or "Didn't they drive you crazy?" The answer to both of those questions is a big "NO"! I was busier than my usual...it was non-stop when they were awake...they did at times try my patience. But I truly enjoyed getting them fed and ready for school, interacting with them (they are so clever and fun), and getting them ready for bed was a joy because they went to bed without a fuss. We did the story time and I read several from their beginning Bible Stories book. We read Berenstein Bears "Too Much TV" and "Forget Their Manners", "The Backyard Adventures of Emma and Madison" that Beth wrote and I illustrated and had published and a book about "An Easter gift for me" which explains what Jesus did when he died on the cross for mankind and rose again. We said our prayers remembering to pray for their mommy and daddy on the ship. They are beginning to pray conversationally for the things they are thankful for and it is so sweet to hear them sing "Jesus Loves Me" and their new song about Zacchaias, "the wee little man who climbed up in the Sycamore tree to see Jesus" . So if you ask me if I enjoyed my time with the girls, my answer is a resounding "YES"! If you ask if I would do it all again, my answer is the same "YES"! They energize me and make me forget myself and I think it was a good experience for Bill Sr too.

Easter was a glorious time. I took the girls to Living Vine for the Easter brunch and they sat through their first Big Church experience. They sat quietly, enjoyed the singing, and I had some paper and pens for them to draw with. They were dressed in their beautiful dresses from their other grandma and they brought their dolls dressed in matching dresses. They wanted to see the flowers blooming in front of the condo, so that is the location of the picture. We had an indoor egg hunt, and we colored eggs in the afternoon. It was a special time. The next Sunday we went again and they had their first Sunday School experience and seemed to love it. They were were offered bags of crayons and some Christian color books to keep them occupied during the service, and they were so quiet, the pastor complimented them on how good they were.

Last night I attended Emma and Matti's swim class. They look so cute in their matching suits. Matti was sitting on the side of the little shallow pool at the YMCA next to a little girl who bawled the whole time. Matti just kept looking at her like"What is the matter?". But Matti was able to get into the "swim of it" and so we have another mermaid "trainee".

We will be getting ready to head back to MN the first part of the week. We have dental appointments on May 4 and so can take our time getting there. Being retired offers a great deal of freedom to come and go as we would like. But it also is a problem for me because I want each day to count and being lazy about what I do each day doesn't fulfill that need. So time for rearranging my priorities...Did I just say that? LOL