Our sixth grandchild was born a couple of weeks ago. Beth and Gary welcomed baby George into the world the night Karen and I arrived in Boston for a weeklong stay that had been planned for months. God’s timing was perfect, and it was a fun trip.
We spent most of our time playing with the three older
grandchildren, ages 6, 5 and 2. We played
on a variety of local playgrounds, built sandcastles at the beach, and read
books. I also played countless hours of
tag and Frisbee golf with them in the backyard.
I came to the conclusion that playing like a 5 year old is much better
for you than a gym membership.
One afternoon, we went to a local bird sanctuary, hiking the
trails and climbing the large rock formations in the area. As we returned to the car on one of the tree-shaded
trails, Howie and I got a bit ahead of the others. We talked about birds and animals we had seen
on the hike. At one point, he looked up
at me and said, for no apparent reason, “Papa, I was surprised when we played
tag yesterday. You’re pretty fast for an
old guy.” It appeared he had given this
some serious thought. “Thanks, Howie,” I
laughed, though I’m still not at all sure he meant it as a compliment.
When we flew back to our own home, we got up early the next
morning to get our own lives back in order and caught up. Karen came in from getting the paper and
said, “Did you see them on the roof?”
Not waiting for a reply, she continued, “Buzzards. Six of them.
And they won’t leave.” In the area
where we live, buzzards congregate in large numbers on even a rumor of roadkill
like so many church members gathering for a potluck supper.
I walked out on the driveway, and there they were, looking
directly at me and very unconcerned with my presence. I clapped my hands. They sat there and preened. I yelled at them. They continued to sit. At that point, Karen came back outside,
looked up and quoted Monty Python, calling out to those large scavengers,
“We’re not dead yet.” We both laughed as
they finally took flight.
“They still bear
fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the LORD
is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” Psalm 92:14-15
No comments:
Post a Comment