Pam's Path

Recently I had 3 of my granddaughters stay a few days with me as they do from time to time and much to my delight. Reflecting on our time I was most impressed with their creativity. It has amazed me all their lives. Children, in general, are amazing. Your own children and their children are so special that most others just pale by comparison. I talk so much about the kids in Africa that I often don’t showcase the ones I love most right here at home.

When the girls are up I can count on being entertained. They aren’t meaning to entertain, they just are having fun. I love giving attention to their good behavior and they love earning it. The first day they came up this time their dad started them on a venture by piling up snow as he shoveled our driveway. Soon they had made, not just a simple snow fort but, tunnels through the snow pile! Three girls, three tunnels going all the way through and a snow angel lying in the snow beside it. Next creation became a snowgirl instead of a snowman because a skirt was easier than the ball at the bottom of a snow man. Smart don’t you think?

Once inside and warmed with some hot chocolate, they found my Christmas decorations and added their touches. The pretty white porcelain reindeer gained a tiny Santa hat. Their room had garland draped around with stuffed animals interspersed in it. I had never thought of that and loved the idea. Maryn had made everyone Christmas cards before she came and passed them out with pride. Marley made me a favorite ornament. I will keep this one to show to her children if I get to live that long. It is a picture of her at age 6 in the middle of a circle colored beautifully to hang on my tree every year. I have one from Maya she did in a ceramics studio that I showcase each year as well. Maya also did a butterfly picture that I framed and put on my kitchen wall this year. It wasn’t for Christmas but this was the first holiday I could show it off to all who entered my home. You can see it on the left in the background of the picture showing the craft they did hanging from my light fixture (the one on the right was done several years ago by my grandson, Dante) (You can probably tell I like butterflies).

One breakfast I made pancakes in shapes for them to figure out what they were eating. You know, stars, bells, snowmen, angels, a J for Jesus or a candy cane upside down, etc. They had lots of fun with this and came up with things I never even thought of. But the most surprise was seeing the added halo on the angel in the middle of my table!

I keep pictures and things on my refrigerator door held up by magnets. This Christmas one of my sons gave me these cool little magnetic balls to “clean up” the cluttered look. These balls can be used for quite a variety of creations. One of which I snapped as Maryn wrote a loving message to me with them.

I discovered a craft when I was a substitute for an art teacher called melting beads. This has kept kids busy at my house for years. I highly recommend it if you don’t already have some. They take little beads and slip them on a small tray in a pattern. Then I melt the beads by ironing them and they stick together to make a small individual art piece. This year the creations were for presents also wrapped and proudly presented on Christmas morning. I have the two I received (sadly I am missing the third) to remember this year by. Each year they get more sophisticated in their designs and I am more and more impressed.

The most creative award this year goes to Maya who found some small ornaments that looked like presents. Instead of putting them on the tree she took a piece of construction paper and cut out a mouse hole, set it against my wall and laid the “presents” outside the mouse door.  Imagination is such a gift and it is a gift that gives to others as, in this case, I really enjoyed showing off the little mouse scene.

Marley gave the best presentation this year when she went up in front of the whole church to listen to the youth preacher talk about Christmas. Actually she did most of the talking! She had the Youth Pastor and the whole congregation delighting in her. I was especially proud as she told all of us why we celebrate Christmas. “It’s because Jesus was born and he came to die for our sins”.

God is the true Creator. He created the world and all that is in it. He created all of us and then a plan that all of us could live with Him forever. He delights in his creation as I delight in my granddaughters.  He is proud as we learn and grow and tell others about His Son and what Love is all about. I am so incredibly blessed to get to share my life with my grandchildren. I hope He is just as blessed with us as His creation and we all get to share our lives with Him now and forever.