Monday, December 1, 2008

Enjoying the journey with Caroline

My sweet companion Caroline!


Caroline is a great shopper and for some reason, I often end up having elder gentle people stop their shopping and start conversations with me, especially at Sam's Club. It's been a pleasure to lend a listening ear. In fact the other day one man came up and was admiring Caroline as she slept in the shopping cart (she sleeps anywhere). This man shared with me how much he enjoys his great grand daughters. It was sweet, how he described that one 4 year old great grand daughter would come visit and give him a hug and he'd give her about 30 minutes and she'd finally let go. He described his happiness because of them being in his life. He informed me how his mother lived to be 103 years old and proceeded to tell me of all his siblings ages and their good health. He is 83 and doing fine. After a lovely conversation of how precious children are and what a source of joy they can be, he wished me to "have a good life". Just the same as you would bid someone to "have a good day". It took me off guard as he mentioned it again as he was moving on to find his wife in the clothing department. His admonishment pierced my heart in a surprising way. It was a gentle genuine wish compared to the usual farewell. So I have been considering this strangers kindness to "have a good life". It's funny how it happened to be a answer to a recent prayer I had in my heart to be more grateful for what I have and to "enjoy my journey" in all it's stages. Caroline is one of my greatest joys in my journey!

Here Caroline forgoes the paper yet again, with markers all over her body, it's even up and down her legs under her pants. She's hiding the markers behind her back!



Sugar and spice that what she's made of!





As I get to spend all day and every day with Caroline I do feel privileged as though I'm hosting an angel in our home.


How can you deny it when she prays, "Thank you for Daddy, thank you for my pink purse, thank you for Daddy, thank you for my grapes and Daddy, and thank you for the cabinets and my cat, (we don't have one!) and thank you for Daddy, Jesus name amen."


I'm trying daily to enjoy her while I can as I've been told over and over they grow up in a blink of an eye. I'm believing it as I watch my other little sweeties grow up. This old man's farewell bid was heaven sent, answering my prayer in a funny way there in Sam's Club! It made me curious of what kind of women would this nice man be married to and how happy, old and lovely she must look. I wanted to find her and congratulate her. I never could track his companion or the older man again and it made me wonder... where he came from. Call me silly or new back in America and I shouldn't talk to strangers, but, you know I don't get like this with everything. I am soaking up my family more and trying to make sure I "have a good life!". Since that day I've become more prepared for more conversations with older people. I look forward to my shopping trips a little more thinking, we'll get to help someone else enjoy their sometimes lonely journey.







One neighbor said that if she were in our family she'd wish to be the little girl, because she'd get out of doing all the work on that house. It's true! Caroline is our cheerleader. "Good job Daddy, your using your muscles!" "Thank you for our pretty kitchen Mommy"
I'm so excited that my sister Geneva just had her first and only daughter, after 4 boys!Thank heaven for little girls!

1 comment:

Carrie Stuart said...

Isn't it funny how brief encounters with strangers can change us like that? Years ago a woman in the post office helped me put stamps on my dozens of Christmas cards as Troy and Patrick ran around the table. She was so kind, and as she was leaving, she looked me straight in the eye, and with sincerity that pierced my heart said, "Jesus loves you and your children." All I could say was, "Thank you! I know that he does!" but it still left me feeling great!