When You Need Light, Look To The Littles........

As I sat down to write this, news of yet another school shooting came across the tv.

More souls stripped from this earth, more lives broken, more grieving to endure.

This is a habit of tragedy that is unique to the United States. 

I have no words left to express the senselessness of this. Since the beginning of 2018, you have had more children get shot and killed in schools than military people in combat. You are the only country in the world that continues to do nothing to protect its children from gun violence. Just fix it. Before the next time, please do something to ensure there won't be one.

From the outside looking in, it's getting harder and harder to convince ourselves that you care as much as your continuous thoughts and prayers would lead us to believe.


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When the world shows its darkness we need to find light, and who shines more light than the little ones in our lives.

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A six-year-old and his haircut...

So, this week I had the opportunity to take our little grandson for a haircut. For the summer, his mom usually just buzzes it off really short with a set of clippers. This time, being six and all, he decided that he would like a fancier, more grown-up haircut. A fade.

For those who don't know, a fade, in his words, is when it's almost bald all the way around the bottom but, at the top, there is more hair so you have to do it.

He sat so still as the hairstylist worked away. He has a LOT of hair, so it was a bit of a project. When she was done cutting, she gave him the full treatment, including a blow dry and hair product. He took it upon himself to find out what the product was, hair wax, and watched pretty closely as she applied it to his little head.

With that, we were off. It was a hot, windy day, yeah, this raised some concerns.

"Grandma, the sun is shining on my head and making it sweaty, I think it's gonna mess up my hair."

After assurances that it would all be ok, we went to the store to pick up a second after-school snack because his tummy was telling him he was hungry again. As I'm helping him get strapped in his seat in the car, "Grandma, I dig my haircut." Then, we were off to help Grandpa for a bit at the shop, then, were on our way home, dropping him off at his house along the way.

The first thing out of his mouth as we greeted Mom was "Mom, we need to get some hair wax!"

I know it doesn't seem like much, but to him, at that moment in time, this haircut was a dream come true. It lit him up. The dreams are bound to change and grow as he will, and it will become more difficult to help him turn those dreams into reality. I hope for many more opportunities to try.


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A four-year-old and her dead bird..........


Sayings become sayings for a reason, right? Case in point. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Meet the tree...

My youngest daughter, now, Mom to the children from both of these little stories, used to drag in every half-dead, or all dead creature she would find in hopes that we could make them better. Most of the time this was an unsuccessful venture. We held many little critter funerals in our backyard. Birds that fell from nests, or slammed themselves into windows, mice that had lost a game of chicken with a car, crickets that didn't enjoy being trained to create a cricket circus......I think you get the idea.

Now, the apple.....

Finds a dead bird outside, she knows it's dead because she poked it with a stick. She remembers she isn't supposed to touch it, so she picks it up with her hat, buries it, and puts the hat back on her head.

Now, keep in mind we have no idea at what stage of death this bird is in. It may have died ten minutes ago, or it could very well have been lying in the sun for days.

Oh well, nothing a shower with some disinfecting shampoo can't cure.


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When you need to find light, look to the littles.


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May you find some light when the world wants to throw nothing but shade.
May you embrace every little joy, every little dream, don't let the light fade.

May you allow every day to show you the beauty it has in store.
May you let it in, every day you do, the next day will only bring more.

May you seize each day you are privileged to greet with open eyes.
May you see that celebrating your blessings makes you not just happy, but wise.


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