Silly People...

This weekend was interesting. It was a weekend with the family - Grandma Balch (formally Neff) to be exact. She is a very interesting lady - one you take with a grain of sand because so many of the things she says are simply - offending if taken personally. For example, she said my son was unfriendly just because he would not go to her from the get go. Well, my motherly instinct came up but then the Holy Spirit kicked in and reminded me, this is the way she is. This the way I made her and right or wrong, she is who she is. Besides that, she is very old, 84.5 years old to be precise.

Her husband should be a saint, I have decided. He puts up with more than any man should but again, I think he has learned the value of taking her with a grain of sand. He doesn't take anything too seriously. And he loves her, very much. A screen door fell on my grandma this weekend and I felt more sorry for him then for her. He was so sad. He was speechless which, if you know Budd (that is her husband's name), you know that doesn't happen often. He is one of these guys that can find a topic to discuss from any conversation. Very rarely does the conversation end. He loves to talk and share his tales of the past. I enjoyed listening and tried to polietly excuse myself when I had heard enough. To be honest with you, I had trouble keeping up sometimes!

I have a soft spot in my heart for older men. Not sure what it is but nothing brings me to tears faster than seeing an older man cry - maybe because he has lost something dear to him. I want to "fix it" more than any other time whatever "it" is.

I have that same feeling with my husband. I want to "fix" whatever is wrong so badly but, t he reality, I have absolutely no power to "fix it" other than prayer. Maybe I have a soft spot in my heart for older men because I think of God as an older man in the golden years of his life. I think of a protector that holds me in his arms and comforts me. I think of the wisdom that comes from God. He always tells me the right thing to do - when I listen or ask. Otherwise, he is perfectly content to stand back and watch me. Sometimes I falter and sometimes I use the gifts that he has given me to fly. I think he rarely wants to stand back and watch. I think most of the time he wants to be along for the ride. Daily God becomes more personal to me - more of a best friend, more of a Father and more of a Savior to me. When I am in his presence I feel that peace that only he can bring. It makes me want to serve him more. It makes me want to be in his presence more - to snuggle up on the couch with him and listen to His wisdom...