22
June 2002
Subject:
Grandchildren
Dear
Ones,
It’s
Saturday and time to take another marble out of the jar.
My
oh my, where has the past week gone? I guess the old adage “Time flies when
you are having fun” was proved true once again this week. The time flew by….
and, boy, did we have some fun. It was because grandchildren were here… and
they made it fun. Not my grandchildren, mind you, but the grandchildren of a
high school classmate. Let me explain.
Some
time ago, a high school classmate of mine named Martha notified me of her
pending retirement from the ministry in Southeast Texas. I wrote her that before
she moved too far away from this area, I wanted her to come to our farm in
Southwest Louisiana for a visit. She informed me that her grandson, Brantley,
would soon be coming to our area to participate in a Junior Olympics boxing
tournament and that she planned to drive over to see him box. After the
tournament, Martha and Brantley spent one night with us on the farm. While here,
she asked if she could bring her other two grandchildren to the farm for a
visit. We said, “Sure!”
These
other two grandchildren of Martha live near Dallas, Texas. Their mother was
killed in a car accident some five years ago. Lindsey, age 10, and Matthew, age
13, are being raised by their father and his widowed mother—their other
grandmother. Martha said they were excited and looking forward to spending some
time with us on the farm.
Before
they arrived, we planned a few activities to occupy their time. We wanted them
to experience things while here that they couldn’t do living in a city. From
the time they arrived to the time they departed, their hours were filled with
“new experiences”. They learned about growing rice and harvesting crawfish.
They saw how we hatch and raise guineas. They saw alligators in the wild and
spent some time crabbing. They caught fish and then ate the fish they caught.
They drove a tractor and a car for the first time all by themselves. They ate
crawfish etouffee’ and other such Cajun cooking. They picked and ate
blackberries… and saw pears, persimmons, oranges, satsumas and kumquat growing
on the trees. They spent a half-day on a local Indian reservation where they
“learned by doing” how the Native American Indians of long ago lived,
worked, played and survived.
I
must say that Lindsey and Matthew brought a lot of joy into our lives during the
time they were here. While being typical grandchildren in many respects, they
were nice, polite, and respectful beyond all expectations. They were fun to be
with and we were blessed to have them come visit us. I would be extremely proud
to be the grandfather to two such grandchildren.
I
personally believe that grandchildren are a blessing from God to show His love.
May you live long enough to see your children’s children and receive His
love... through grandchildren.
Blessings!!
Don
You can have all your mansions,
Your silver and gold,
All the pleasure of traveling, too.
But if I am loved by a little grandchild,
I'm a hundred times richer than you.
~
C. Keith ~
Jesus
said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the
kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
Matthew
19:14
Click on the links below to see Martha's grandchildren on their recent "Trip to Louisiana".
Down on the Farm
The
Creole Nature Trail
Camp Coushatta