Weekend Musings and an afternoon off with Anya

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I wrote yesterday about spending an afternoon with my adorable granddaughter Anya recently. It struck me during that afternoon (not the first time, mind) what a delightful thing a grandchild is, and how immediately the “important things” of my life–right now harvesting and canning and putting up the firewood for the winter, and putting up food for winter, too–I can drop–like, faster than immediately!–in favor of spending time with this sweet little one.

It’s not only Anya, though. Yesterday afternoon, for example, little Mack came to me. He had been sick and was just beginning to feel better, and was wanting to do something with me.

“Please can we just go do something adventurous?” he asked, plaintively.

I had the rest of the day loosely scheduled in my mind: make supper (homemade pizza, as is our Friday usual) and then clean up the kitchen, take a shower, and then collapse on the couch and watch a new episode of White Collar with the fam. Then, to allow our luxe Ejecto-Couch to shoot my through the basement ceiling into my own sweet bed in the room above.* It was a good plan. Plus, I was already tired because of an early morning.

But Mack’s pinched little face wooed me, and I dropped my plans–like, faster than instantly!–in order to go hiking with him for the last hour of daylight. It meant that we didn’t start making pizza until dark (after 7:00), supper was late, and I was still cleaning up the kitchen at 9:30. I could barely move by bedtime, I was so spent. I barely could drag my weary carcass to the Ejecto-Couch, much less keep my eyes open long enough to take in that White Collar episode.

But I didn’t regret changing my plans one bit.

When my sweet daught-in-law Sonia sent me a message, asking if I could keep Anya for the afternoon, the until-then-vitally-important tasks that I had planned suddenly meant nothing to me. OF COURSE I would love to have a playdate with Anya. Nothing else really mattered.

Of course I realize that I am in an enviable position, here, being able to stay home with my kiddos and being able to drop my responsibilities, um, quite often. I know that not everybody has this freedom, and that I may not always have it, either. You never know, do you? But for now I’m thankful for it. Very thankful.

Jesus loved children, and although I can’t pretend to know the mind of God, I can see why, at least with my limited earthly understanding, children were so precious to Him. Jesus took children so seriously that He told the disciples that whoever welcomed a little child in his name welcomed him; and whoever welcomed him welcomed God. (Mark 9:37) Jesus did not just brush off children when they wanted his attention. He took the time. He loved them.

Sometimes it’s not easy (or even possible) to just drop everything, but sometimes it is easy to do, isn’t it? Sometimes my plans really aren’t that important, and forging a strong bond with my children and grandchildren is very important to me.

Spending the afternoon with Anya, watching her take delight in such a simple thing as “frowing” a rock into our little muddy pond, and then another one . . . and another one . . . and yet . . . another one . . . is a relaxing and restorative experience. Time slows and the cares of the day just melt away. We were just wrapped up in her delight, in the sweetness of her smile and the dearness of her little self. But I’ll stop waxing on about it, I’ll share a few pictures and I’ll let them do the talking for me today.

Here are little Mack and Amalia on our “adventure.” The light was fading, so you can’t see my son’s big grin through the dusk. But it was there, believe me.

It really takes so little to bring a big grin to my little boy’s face. Is there a person in your life, your house, your neighborhood, that is needing an adventure with somebody who cares for him? Today might be the day. It doesn’t take long.

Anya loves her Uncle Mack so much . . . here she is grinning at him, as we get her shoes and jacket on for our adventure outside.

Little Mack had collected the pink plastic pot full of stones to throw into our pond. Anya started with one at a time, and then got so into her “frowing” that soon she was throwing handfuls. The stones didn’t last so long after that.

Anya doesn’t mind a bit that her Amma hasn’t had a shower yet today or that I pulled on her Grandpa’s jacket because mine was in the wash. All she cared was that I kept providing stick after stick . . . after stick! . . . for her “frowing” and also kept her from falling into the mud at the water’s edge.

Absolutely I enjoy the loving relationship between Anya and her Auntie Amalia. Auntie would do anything for Anya, anything, and Anya seems to know this. 🙂

Little Mack demonstrated how big and how strong he is by throwing bigger and bigger sticks into the pond. Also small limbs. I was impressed. I told him that all that muscle would certainly come in handy when it was time to haul firewood. Then he wouldn’t smile at the camera.

I couldn’t get over the beautiful reflections on our little muddy pond. Is the tree above the pond, or inside it? What do you think?

Amalia: “Mom, she wants more sticks . . . ”

That’s it for now, Gentle Reader. I hope your weekend has an adventure or two, and that it’s a memorable one !

*Oh! About the Ejecto-Couch: this is something that I’ve asked my (smart, all of them, not to mention inventive) children to invent, many times, for me. A couch that will eject my weary carcass, straight up into my warm bed, at bedtime. Think how handy it would be on those nights when I am just too tired to get myself there on my own power! They’re all so busy . . . but I’m hoping that this Christmas will be the one that my new Ejecto-Couch will be under the tree . . .

(Kids—I have sketches, remember!) 🙂

I’m sharing this post with blog hops over at The Prairie Homestead and Frugally Sustainable. It’s good clean fun, join us!

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