Jan
31
2019
Safe In The Corner
Posted in Family Life 2 Comments
I see my granddaughter at least once a week.
In between visits, my daughter will fill me in on some cute thing she is doing.
My husband and I get videos more often than the ones sent on the family text.
It is a known fact that grandparents never tire of seeing their grandchildren.
My daughter and son-in-love will set up the phone on the floor as we Face Time.
When we talk to our precious granddaughter, she will crawl towards us.
We get to see how fast she is crawling.
We get to see her excited little face as she tries to get closer to our faces.
My granddaughter has been pulling herself up on low things.
The fireplace hearth is just the right height.
My son-in-love put a soft pool noodle around the stone hearth so she will not get hurt.
It was so wonderful to see her pull herself up and put weight on her legs.
That new found skill has changed yet again.
Now my granddaughter had discovered that she can pull herself up on the sofa.
She can pull herself up on the coffee table.
It is beginning; side-stepping will be next.
Within the next few months, sidestepping will turn into taking a few steps.
Those few steps will turn into walking.
How exciting to see the world unfold for my granddaughter in this first year.
Everything is new and exciting; everything is interesting.
Her world was quite small.
Her world was wherever she was placed.
Her world broadened when she learned to roll over to retrieve things.
Her world expanded when she could crawl all over the room.
My daughter told me how she crawls into the kitchen, the foyer, and the office.
She is discovering that there is a whole lot more to her house than she ever dreamed.
There are new things to see and new places to crawl.
Her mommy and daddy are seeing the world through her eyes.
They had to baby proof the house.
They have to anticipate dangers.
They have to decide what things might need to be moved out of the way.
They have to literally look at life from her point of view.
My granddaughter loves corners.
She will get herself in the corner near the chaise of their sectional sofa.
She likes the smallness of that area.
She will crawl there and poke her head around the corner to see who is watching her.
My youngest daughter did the same thing.
She loved to play behind our sofa, near the sliding door that goes out to our deck.
I remember one particular afternoon.
I was at the kitchen sink looking out the window.
Our family room and kitchen form an L shape around the deck.
She was in the back corner of the family room.
I could look out my kitchen window towards the sliding door.
I could see my daughter, though a wall was between us.
I remember the windows were open that day.
I see you, I said in a pleasant voice.
I remember her looking all around.
She could hear me but she could not see me.
Mommy sees you, I said again.
I was waving in the kitchen window.
She saw the motion of my hand and smiled.
She belly laughed.
She could see me when I was not even in the same room.
She was away from me, but my eyes were on her without her even knowing it.
There was something safe about that corner in the vastness of the family room.
There was something comforting about knowing that her mommy could see her the whole time.
He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
(Psalm 18:19)
We get ourselves into corners.
We think we are safe in the smallness of the space.
Often, we are confined.
There is a whole world beyond our safe corners, waiting to be explored.
As we explore, God sees us.
As we venture out of our comfort zone, God is there.
As we try to anticipate what is waiting for us, God already knows.
As we discover the vastness of the world we live in, God guides us.
We are never alone.
We are never far from His care.
If we listen, we can hear Him.
I see you; you have never left My sight for a moment.
That knowledge is so wonderful to know.
We have the freedom to explore beyond familiar boundaries, knowing Abba Father is there.
God guides and directs; however, the way is not always smooth.
God goes before us but sometimes we have to endure hard things so that we will grow.
We go through stages of growth.
God is with us every step of the way.
God put us in families so that we can begin to understand how He loves us.
God loves His children perfectly.
I see you, God says.
What a comfort.
Go after your dreams, as crazy as they may seem
Go chase all the stars in the sky
Baby, I’ll be paving the runway
Cause I know that one day you’re gonna fly
Darling, stand on my shoulders
Up where it’s carefree, simple and good
Baby, soon you’ll be older
You will reach higher than I ever could
If ever your wings, are tired and broken things
Can’t see through the tears in your eyes
Baby, I’ll be paving the runway
‘Cause I know that one day you’re gonna fly
Go after your dreams, as crazy as they may seem
Go chase all the stars in the sky
Baby, I’ll be paving the runway
‘Cause I know that one day you’re gonna fly!
I know that one day you’re gonna fly!
What a comforting thought . Wonderful blessing to know the even in times of heartache & struggle, He is ‘paving the runway.’ Brings to mind the song ‘His Eye is On The sparrow ‘ and I know He watches me.
Amen, Linda.
God never leaves us or forsakes us.
What a comfort.
Gina