I had but one response, "Maybe that's why she's such a firecracker!"
Tommy and I just returned from a 12 hour road trip to Louisiana. We took our 18 month old, high-energy, full of personality granddaughter with us. This was a multipurpose trip. It had been two years since I saw my mom and Lilley (Lil K) had never met her Great Granny.
She isn't one to easily befriend new people (Lil K, not Great Granny wink wink). She has to be approached with caution, kinda the same way one might draw near to a bear cub...will she hurt me or just run away?
I have to admit, the closer we got to "home" the more my nerves did a tap dance.
How long will it take?
Is she going to smile or cry?
Will she even offer a "fist-bump"?
Just minutes after touch down, Lil K and her "Nanny" became buddies. I spent the next 5 days laughing and marveling at the connection. They fed the birds, watered the flowers, bounced a ball, shared ice cream, ate corn on the cob, played with the dog and even took a nap together in Nanny's chair.
Proverbs 17 says grandchildren are a crown to the aged. She certainly is a crown to me; I am thrilled at every opportunity to spend a moment or more with Lil K. And all the while I am with her, my mind struggles to accept she is my GRANDCHILD...when did this happen? How can my mom be a GREAT Grandmother...she is still 39, isn't she?
I soaked in every minute together and whispered many "thank you" prayers to God who has been faithful during my mom's cancer battle. I thanked Him for Lilley's existence and for her Mommy & Daddy and their willingness to let her make the trip. I thanked Him for a safe home for our visit and for every flower that Mom's green thumb touched. As Lil K sang songs with Ike (Mike) and played games with Olly (their dog Molly), I was overwhelmed with gratitude for God's sovereign hand in our lives.
I have a never-quit attitude that came from Mom.
At 18 months old, Lil K has already shown her own...shall we say...ability to persist.
As I relive last week in my thoughts, I continue to thank the Lord for the gift of children and grandchildren. My thank you prayers fluidly become prayers for Momma's continued health progress and for myself. Yes, for myself. That I might be the kind of Grandma to Lil K that will show her no challenge on earth is bigger than God.
I feel certain that Lilley's sweet voice is echoing down the hall at Mom's..."Nanny! (Where) Are you?"
No doubt Mom and "Ike" and "Olly" are all exhausted from the Firecracker of a little girl that lives life in go-mode.
Mom's ability to persevere against all odds, well, it's running through my veins.
It was gifted down the line to my son, Lilley's daddy, James.
And Lil K? Her energy level is surpassed only by her ability to "stick with it." God is going to work through Lilley Kendrick Pierce to impact the world...
Yeah, that DNA is powerful stuff.
