Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. – Jesus: Matthew 18:4-5

Having all three of our Orlando grandchildren at the same time is both absolutely wonderful and completely exhausting! It’s a situation complicated by the fact that the youngest, Geoffrey, is only four years old while his siblings are 12 and 13.

Fortunately David and Beks love their little brother like crazy, and they are great when it comes to everything from interpreting (when we can’t understand toddler-talk) to helping make sense of why Geoffrey thinks he can run around with no clothes on and bring his game tablet to the dinner table (btw, it’s a firm “no” from the grandparents on both counts!).

Geoffrey may not grasp the fundamentals of “Go Fish,” but he certainly enjoys being a part of the action.

Then there is “the magic,” the card tricks David and Beks have been practicing. I must say I am impressed with their sleight of hand. But better still than the artistry is the complete delight with which the tricks are presented.

This is what time with the grandchildren is all about. Simply occupying the same space, playing, traveling, telling stories, listening, learning, encouraging (which means, literally, “to give courage”), playing some more, listening some more….

That and spending endless hours in the kitchen trying to feed their seemingly insatiable appetites!

So we pray that their parents – Naomi and Craig – are making good use of this time to do some of the same: to play and to listen to each other and to be mutually encouraging.

Rebekah and I are certainly blessed to have this crew here with us – David, Beks and Geoffrey. All we need now is a little more stamina, a little more wisdom and the promise of some rest to come.

Grateful and full – DEREK