Remnants Of A Morning

My daughter planned some one on one time with her dad.
The two of them were going to kayak on a nearby lake.
My little granddaughter would spend the morning with Grandma.
The weather had other ideas.

Heavy rain fell in the morning.
The two kayakers were watching the weather.
Suddenly, it seemed to clear.
My husband began to get everything ready.

He brought the two kayaks up from the basement, using the staircase in the garage.
He fastened them expertly on the top of his car.
I was expecting our daughter and granddaughter any minute.
I heard him come back inside.

It’s spritzing rain, he said sounding disappointed.
He had his phone in his hand.
Thunderstorms are expected in the next hour, he said sadly.
I don’t think it would be wise to go, he concluded, as I knew he would.

Our daughter still planned to come over.
Our granddaughter would nap here.
My daughter and I are not TV watchers.
However, there was a mystery I had on the DVR  for us to enjoy at a later date.

We decided that we would watch the mystery and try to figure it all out.
Sometimes, my daughter is right.
Sometimes, I am the one who can put all the clues together.
This one was tricky; neither one of us knew who was responsible for the two murders.

Halfway through the mystery, I heard my sweet granddaughter on the monitor.
My daughter went upstairs to get her out of the crib.
I could hear them as they talked together.
I could picture everything they were doing before they came downstairs.

By now, it was close to lunchtime.
Mommy will get you some grapes, and cheese, and peanut butter and jelly.
My granddaughter squealed with delight.
Napping makes you hungry.

We decided that we would have a light lunch as well.
My husband said he would eat later, though he stayed in the kitchen with us.
All the while, the DVR was on pause.
The conclusion of the mystery would have to wait.

We made a fuss over the good little eater sitting before us.
We talked about books that my granddaughter likes to read.
We talked about things that she might do the rest of the day.
The conclusion of the mystery would have to wait.

After cleaning up the sticky jelly and wiping her mouth and hands, she got down.
She toddled to the family room to play with the toys there.
She went to the baskets where other toys are kept and found her favorite things.
The conclusion of the mystery would have to wait.

While my granddaughter was busy at play, we decided to try to watch the end of the mystery.
It is different with a toddler in the room.
Everything is interesting and exciting.
Can you turn it up a little, Mom? My daughter asked.

I increased the volume a bit.
Pop-Pop came into the room and played with his granddaughter.
We knew that we only had about 20 minutes left until the mystery was solved.
He got out a toy that requires hammering colored balls into the same color hole.

My granddaughter loved it.
We turned the volume up a bit more.
We never do this.
We never put watching a movie ahead of a child.

The conclusion of the mystery was about to be revealed.
We were minutes away from the resolution.
Hammering the colored balls was still happening in the background.
My daughter and I just looked at each other and giggled.

O be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little eyes what you see
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little eyes what you see

O be careful little ears what you hear
O be careful little ears what you hear
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little ears what you hear

O be careful little hands what you do
O be careful little hands what you do
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little hands what you do

O be careful little feet where you go
O be careful little feet where you go
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little feet where you go

O be careful little mouth what you say
O be careful little mouth what you say
There’s a Father up above
And He’s looking down in love
So, be careful little mouth what you say

I remembered the children’s Sunday school song.
It still applies.
It matters what children see and hear, what children touch and say, and where children go.
Even in the background, it matters.

The mystery was on the Hallmark channel.
It was clean.
There was no offensive language.
The plot was not inappropriate in the least.

However, little eyes and ears were in the room.
Little feet were walking past the TV screen.
We were very aware of that fact.
The movie ended and this time,  I was the one who solved the mystery.

My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.  Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.  Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. (Proverbs 4:20-27)

My daughter is training our granddaughter to clean up her toys.
She loves to put things back in the toy chest.
My daughter gathered her things, ready to go home.
My husband carried his precious granddaughter out to the car.

I went into the family room.
I was going to fluff some pillows on the love seat.
I smiled.
Tucked behind one of the pillows was the Woody doll that my granddaughter loves.

Remnants of a wonderful morning together.
A reminder that the conclusion of the mystery could wait.
There is a far greater mystery unfolding in the life of this precious child.
Woody looked up at me knowingly.