Waiting, But Not Ready

Being a grandparent is a delight. My husband Dan and I have one “grand” toddler who is four years old, named Emma. We’ve waited many years for this special package of joy and recently had the privilege of being her caregivers for two weeks while her parents took an overseas trip. 

To tell you the truth, I was a bit nervous about jumping back into the role of being a little’s caregiver. Afterall, it had been over 40 years since I last took care of my own four-year-olds! Would I survive? Would I have enough energy?

Emma loves her Grandpa and Grandma. It was Grandpa who taught her how to speak the “puh” in Grandpa with a strong emphasis on the letter “p,” and that was the way she spoke it for quite some time. It was hilarious to hear, and over these past four years of little Emma’s life, her Grandpa and I have spent time with her, but usually in the presence of her mommy and daddy, so the feeling of responsibility did not land on us, but on Emma’s parents. That felt very good, and we were used to it being that way.

Though the plans were laid many months in advance, the time finally came after 3ABN’s Fall Homecoming Camp Meeting to begin our trip and time away from our home. So, here we were, flying out west from St. Louis to provide care for little Emma. You know, my husband and I have gotten quite comfortable in our “retired” state, with much more flexibility than while Dan was a pastor, or I was working full-time in an office setting. Now, we have a farm in southern Illinois and work part-time at 3ABN. We were getting spoiled.

The trip to California went great; we reunited with my daughter and her little family, and the next day, she and her husband flew to another continent. We were basically on our own with caring for Emma. And wouldn’t you know it, Emma soon informed me that “Mommy said I can have all the candy I want.” While Emma knows a lot of things, I doubted that was a true statement, and I told her that I couldn’t agree with what she just said. She was okay with that and our day began.

Actually, the two weeks went pretty smoothly, considering that she awakened on the early side of most mornings and some of her afternoon naps were incomplete—“I couldn’t sleep.” She ate well, played nicely, did exceptionally well at the Granite Bay church service, and even went up front for the children’s story by herself (Grandpa asked if she wanted him to go with her, but Emma replied, “I’m brave” as she got off the cushioned seat and trotted up the long aisle to the front of the church). 

I failed to mention that my husband and I were also taking care of our daughter’s cat and two dogs, one of which was a chewing puppy. Hmm. Between the grandchild and the regular schedule of life, the three animals needed their level of care. And my husband also had some work projects to accomplish for our son-in-law. And there was preschool three mornings a week for Emma. And swim lessons. And ….

One evening, a funny incident took place. My husband was talking on the phone in the kitchen, sitting at the table with Emma, who was working hard at drawing and using stickers. The cat had not shown up; it was dark, and after seeing a cat sticker, I was reminded to check once more for Muffy and let him inside for the night. Opening the outside door, I stuck my head out, calling shrilly, “Here, Muffy, Muffy. Here kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty” into the darkness. Looking to my left, I saw an orange furry cat and opened the door wider to allow Muffin entrance. But, as he passed by to come inside, there was a mostly white creature with dark spots hanging out of his mouth! This creature was about eight inches in length and sported a long tail. Shocked, I screamed, jumped into the air, ran for the door going into the main living area, slammed it shut behind me, and ran to the kitchen. Emma looked up with interest, and Dan quit his phone conversation to come to the rescue. By the end of this adventure, Dan cleaned up not only the remains of the rat, but also the effects of Muffin not being able to quite stomach all he had eaten.

Emma watched in fascination through the glass door into the room where Muffin stays, asking questions about what was happening. But this adventure traveled with her to her bedtime, when we heard, “But, I’m scared,” no doubt referring to the less than one-hour-earlier episode of cat vs. rat. Eventually she fell asleep with Grandpa laying on the floor next to her bed.

Time went by. Sure, we were tired; the days had weary times. When Emma was in morning school or did take a nap, it was hard to know whether to just chill and relax or try to get something done in the house. Some days could be intense with lots of “Will you play with me?” and some frustrations with life on Emma’s part. But before we knew it, there was only one sleep left before Emma’s parents would be back home.

That day finally arrived. Emma was very excited and could hardly wait to see Mommy and Daddy in person once again. To hug them, to feel the warmth of their bodies, to feel their love.  Grandpa and Emma left early in case of slow traffic and drove to the more than two-hour-away-airport while I stayed home to dog sit.

My mind had conceived a plan for Dan to record the happy reunion, and he was more than willing. After our daughter and son-in-law’s flight landed, they went through customs and then had to retrieve their luggage. Dan texted, letting Emma’s parents know where they were waiting, and then he decided to do a video chat between me, Emma, and himself, figuring our daughter would let him know when they were getting closer to the grand reunion. We were chatting away when I heard Emma’s voice shouting, “Mom!” Dan mumbled to me, “How do I get to the video camera to record them?” while I hung up, but it was too late. By the time he closed our call and returned to the camera to record mode, they were already reunited, happy to be together.  Although Dan got one “late” video plus some photos, the visual I had in my mind of seeing Emma run to her parents and jump up for a hug was forever gone from permanent record.

Not just waiting for our Lord’s Second Coming, but being ready. Some of us have been waiting a long time, and we’re moving toward the finish line of our life on Earth. But are we ready? Are we spending time with Jesus, falling in love with Him, adoring Him, communicating with our Best Friend? Are we surrendering to the voice of the Holy Spirit, laying down our own plans and ideas and following God’s Word every day? We are assured of the abundant love of our Heavenly Father and our Friend, Jesus. They both desire our hearts to be committed to a forever relationship with Them.

My challenge to you is that while we wait, we also want to be trusting in Jesus. Since He began that good work in you, He will also complete it (Philippians 1:6).