Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise. (Walter Chalmers Smith)

It has been a while since I have seen an early morning mist on the river like Sunday’s. The Tar full from the recent rains. The sun pushing hard against the thick air. The sultry heat of the day already beginning to brew.

It has also been a long time since we had Andrew’s family with us for a Sunday morning at church. It was their first time here at Howard Memorial.

My friend Rusty invited Mr. T. to help ring the bell and then we all slipped into the back pew. I am proud to say that our grandson managed to stay in the sanctuary through the entire service. Then he happily guzzled five (he kept count and was sure to tell us) lemonades during fellowship time on the lawn after church.

It was good to be back in worship with our people – although Rebekah and I still plan to continue to keep a low profile during the summer months, just attending locally on the occasional Sunday morning.

In the afternoon we sent Andrew and Alicia off by themselves to enjoy a little overnight R&R while Mr. T. stayed and played with his grandparents.

T. has grown so much and in every way since we were in Krakow over Christmas. So full with vibrant life, so intelligent and curious, so articulate, so imaginative and ready to explore.

For kids, and we often forget this, play is their job. Mister Rogers put it this way: “Play is the serious work of children.”

There is a balance between providing structure that facilitates learning and imposing rigidity that suppresses it. But this is summer and we – as “licensed to spoil” grandparents – are inclined to lean more in the direction of play. It is fun to see his mind and his imagination at work.

Meanwhile, I pray that we all have a blessed and peace-filled week… while we avoid this abject heat as much as possible. – DEREK