Trailing Clouds of Glory, Do We Come

Children are a miracle.  We think we have so much to teach them.  When the opportunity comes along to spend a little time in their company, the real miracle is in realizing what they have to teach us.

I learned this recently as my husband and I took care of our two-year-old granddaughter for ten days while her parents vacationed in Hawaii.  Never once did we think that we weren't getting the best end of that deal.  She was a joy to be with.  We began seeing the world through her eyes.  We began looking for moo-moo cows in the fields along the road.  We began to simplify, slow our pace, and practice making animal noises.

In other words, we rediscovered the joy of living.

I was reminded of the lovely poem by William Wordsworth as I looked at this priceless photo of my granddaughter sitting at the feet of the Christus statue in the Idaho Falls Temple Visitors Center.  As I look in her eyes, I realize that the Savior is someone she already knows, already respects, and very well may still remember.

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come 
From God, who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!

These words may be the most oft-quoted part of the poem, Ode, Intimations of Immortality From Recollections of Early Childhood, and they are powerful, but there is another passage that resonates with me just as strongly.

THERE was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,
The earth, and every common sight,
To me did seem
Apparell'd in celestial light,
The glory and the freshness of a dream.
It is not now as it hath been of yore;—
Turn wheresoe'er I may,
By night or day,
The things which I have seen I now can see no more.

How easily we lose sight of the wonder in simple things.  How hardened and pessimistic and distracted we become as we strive to eat our bread by the sweat of our brow.  Life isn't meant to be a cakewalk; we are here to work, and yet I can't believe that a loving Heavenly Father doesn't intend for us to look upon His creations with the freshness they deserve.  How quickly we lose the wonder, the joy, the gratitude.

Thank you, my sweet Evelyn, for teaching your grandma.  Thank you for the light in your eyes and your reverence for sacred things.  That wasn't taught to you by the inhabitants of mortality.  It was taught to you by angels.

Thank you for being our little angel.

And I Think to Myself....

I see trees of green

Red roses, too.  I watch them bloom for me and you.

And I think to myself, What a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue

And clouds of white

The bright blessed day

The dark sacred night

And I think to myself, What a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky

Are also on the faces of people going by.

I see friends shaking hands,

Saying, How do you do?

They're really saying, 'I love you'!

I hear babies cry

I watch them grow

They'll learn much more than I'll ever know.

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world!

And What Did I See?

I know a little girl who loves to go to church.  Every Sunday her momma gets her ready in a perfectly matched little outfit and she can hardly wait until it is time to go.  She always "leads" the music along with the chorister.  She loves her little friends. And mostly she loves going to Nursery.  She loves sitting on her little carpet square and listening to stories.  And she loves snack time.

But her favorite activity of all is singing time.  Her favorite song?  Well, of course it is the same song that was my favorite, and probably your favorite as well.

Can you guess?

Where are the One-Year-Olds?

"It's too quiet..... Where are the One-year-olds?"  Robert's mother-in-law asked in the aftermath of a huge family Christmas.  Our granddaughter Evelyn is blessed to have two cousins her same age, all born within just a few weeks of each other.  When they get together they have all kinds of fun. 

That wise grandmother knew that quiet can be dangerous and sent one to investigate. This is what Uncle Brad found:  Evelyn and her cousins were in an upstairs bathroom, gathered around the toilet.  They had filled it with toilet paper and toys, were playing with the plunger, soaked from head to toe with toilet water, and were eating the wet toilet paper.

Their only comments, from their limited vocabulary?  "Uh oh!"

I can only imagine, as they continue to grow up together, all the adventures these three will have. 

It's MY party!

August 17th.  One of my favorite days.  When I was a child my favorite thing to do on August 17th was to go swimming.  I think it is one of the reasons I love hot, summer days.  Perfect time for a birthday.

This year I totally spoiled myself on August 17th.  I ate leftover wedding cake for breakfast.  I played with my granddaughter, Evelyn.  I took her to the beautiful Salem Carousel.  I played golf with my favorite people.  And I went out for Italian food, my favorite. 

I was also spoiled by the people who love me.  Miranda wrote me an amazing poem.  Erica called me from her honeymoon ship.  Jackie called me while I was on the golf course.  Robert and Josalyn stayed a few extra days so they could celebrate with me.  Brian gave me concert tickets to see Harry Connick, Jr. in September.

I feel so blessed.  I have a wonderful life, surrounded by wonderful family and friends.  I suppose that even though birthdays add onto my ever-expanding age, they are a great time to take stock of one's life, count one's blessings, and make new goals for the upcoming years.  I love August 17th.

Zippity-ay and Heidi-ho!

There is one thing grandmothers should never miss--their grandchildren's birthdays.  Yes, I put a package in the mail a few days ago, and yes, I allowed plenty of time for it to reach its destination, and yes, I handpicked gifts that I thought would delight her.  But I am not there.  I am not with my granddaughter on her first birthday.  Feeling quite at a loss.

What a year full of love we have had, fortunate to see her several times during her first twelve months.  Evelyn's parents have done a great job recording her first year with wonderful photographs.  So here is a birthday celebration of the little lady whom I love so much.

I love you, Miss Evelyn.  You fill our lives with joy.

Keeping up with Robert

Mr. Energy!  That's what my son is.  I marvel at all the things he manages to fit into his life.  And rather than stressing about his full schedule, he seems to be thriving on it.  On our recent trip to visit, we were fortunate to be spectators of his wonderful life.

He coaches one of the golf teams at BYU-I, which includes participating as a golfer.  There was a tournament while we were there, and despite the Rexburg wind, we joined the gallery and followed him around.  And we weren't the only ones.  He has a regular entourage that supports him faithfully.

The following day we got up early to send him off on another of his activities, the Teton Dam Marathon.

Yet again, his faithful little family was there, bright and early, to cheer on their favorite fellow.

While I can't be there all the time to support my favorite son, I am so thankful that others who love him are cheering him on, encouraging him to thrive and succeed, not just in extracurricular activities, but in that race called life.

My new best friend

She isn't a great conversationalist.  She is a little self-centered, focussing often on her own comfort-level.  But, she fills the room with sunshine.  She has a smile for everyone.  She loves to laugh and clap her hands.  And I love her.

I have spent the past week getting to know my granddaughter, Evelyn.  I have learned what makes her happy, what can distract her when she feels abandoned by her parents, what she likes to eat, what she doesn't like to eat.  I have learned that she likes flowers.  And music.  And dancing to music.  She likes all of her aunties.  I have learned that she doesn't like bedtime. 

She is fascinated with people.  She is very observational, always noting who is speaking and who is in the room.

It was a wonderful week, filled with love and laughter and discovery.  I am looking forward to many more outings with Evelyn and hope she is joined by lots of cousins during the coming years.  Our family circle holds lots of love and has the capacity to expand to great proportions.