The Stone Lions

You could say it was the last hurrah of summer.
It was a lovely evening when being outside just made sense.
Two of my daughters planned the evening, with three of my grandchildren.
I was invited, which was an easy, yes.

My youngest daughter was going to be there as well with her husband and some friends.
It was an outdoor concert, which I knew would mean many people sitting on the lawn.
Since restaurants are nearby, we could choose how to have dinner.
We could eat inside, we could eat outside (cafe style), or we could have a picnic on the lawn.

We chose outside, cafe style.
We saw so many people we knew, since our table was positioned just right.
Our dinner was filled with conversations and saying hello to passers-by.
My dinner was filled with compliments for beautiful artwork on the children’s menu.

There is a pond filled with fish that my two-year-old granddaughter wanted to see.
There is a gazebo, which she called a house, where she sang a song, as if on stage.
She and I wore a path between the pond and the gazebo.
We walked to find her mommy, sister, brother, and aunt.

My youngest daughter was on a blanket on the lawn.
She was found by her nieces and nephew.
It was such a lovely night: perfect weather, ambiance, and company.
My oldest granddaughter danced to the music, unaware of anyone watching her.

Dancing, pond visiting, and singing in the gazebo was really memory making.
As adults we can forget that a child remembers the simplest things.
Counting fish, wondering if a frog lived under the lily pad, are wonders to a child.
A child’s world is full of wonders; we, adults, need to be reminded.

We decided, as it was beginning to get dark, that a treat was in order.
We walked to the water ice/ice cream store.
My daughter stayed outside feeding my grandson.
My oldest daughter and I took two girls inside to make their selection.

It is special to get a tiny spoon that allows you to taste a new flavor.
They decided they wanted to have chocolate water ice.
Even the small size was too big for them, so they shared it.
The girl behind the counter divided the water ice between two cups.

I know memories were made for my granddaughters; however one memory was for me.
It happened as we walked up a large outside staircase to get to the water ice store.
The girls wanted to see the lions.
I had no idea what lions they were talking about.

Outside a quaint bookstore, there are two stone lions.
They are gargoyle-esque in nature, but my granddaughters love them.
They guard the entrance to the store.
However, to my granddaughters they are so much more.

My granddaughters love books and are are read to frequently.
One book they love is, The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S.Lewis.
They act out scenes from the book.
They are particularly fond of Aslan.

My granddaughters got on the lions as if they were riding a horse.
They pretended that their lion was Aslan.
They became Susan and Lucy in an instant.
Aslan is on the move, I said to them.

“They say Aslan is on the move- perhaps has already landed.”
And now a very curious thing happened. None of the children knew who Aslan was any more than you do; but the moment the Beaver had spoken these words everyone felt quite different. Perhaps it has sometimes happened to you in a dream that someone says something which you don’t understand but in the dream it feels as if it has some enormous meaning- either a terrifying one which turns the whole dream into a nightmare or else a lovely meaning too lovely to put into words, which makes the dream so beautiful that you remember it all your life and are always wishing you could get into that dream again. It was like that now. At the name of Aslan each one of the children felt something jump in its inside. (C.S.Lewis)

In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Aslan represents Christ.
Knowing that Aslan was on the move, meant great changes ahead.
The winter, imposed on Narnia by the White Witch, would soon be ended.
Spring would be coming: lush green, new life, and abundant joy.

There were people around us, eating their water ice.
I wondered how many knew the story; how many knew The Story.
Were two little girls simply riding on a stone lion?
Or were two little girls, just for a moment, riding Aslan, who is on the move?

Aslan is on the move.
It was always winter and never Christmas in Narnia under the reign of the White Witch.
Though her time was short.
Narnia never really belonged to her, though she acted like it did.

Our Aslan, the Lord Jesus, is on the move.
It may not seem like He is on the move; it may seem like the enemy of our souls is winning.
That is a lie: Spring is coming: lush green, new life, and abundant joy.
Two little girls, riding on stone lions, said so.

I am going away and I am coming back to you. (John 14:28)