CHILD OF THE 21ST CENTURY

Edan, our three years old grand daughter, is already iPhone literate since she can watch a movie, play a game or sing along with varied iPhone apps. She also is well acquainted with the workings of recorded movies and DVDs.
While we were talking to her on the speaker telephone she was telling us all about her play date with a friend. Suddenly she hurriedly remarked to her mom, "Mommy, put MeMe and PopPop on pause while I go to the potty."
Wouldn't we all like to have that pause button on the computer of life where we could pause someone, then go back to the same conversation later? Wouldn't it be nice to be able to push a pause button when we are in a heated conversation with a family member or a business person, freezing the incident at a certain point while we contemplate what to say next to bring peace to the incident?
Edan has a good idea. Maybe someone will install that pause button on life so that we can deal with situations more wisely and patiently. Until then, I guess we'll just have to grow up and learn to control our emotions and our tongues. That's the pause button we need to facilitate in our lives to bring peace to every situation.,

EDAN THE TROOPER

Can a three year old be a heroine? I think so. A hero or heroine is usually someone you admire for the courageous conduct they display during a stressful situation.
When Gramps and I visited Edan and her mom and dad a couple of months ago in their home we offered to stay with her overnight while our daughter and son-in-law went on a delayed anniversary/birthday trip to Sonoma, Ca. where they were married five years ago. The evening went fine with little fanfare at the bedtime hour. Edan insisted that PopPop (her name for Gramps) read to her the many stories she loves to read at bed time. Of course he obliged. Then he was instructed to lie down on the floor next to her bed while she closed her eyes. He did. She immediately fell asleep. The rest of the night was uneventful and she slept until eight o'clock the next morning. The next day when her parents called to check on the three of us, they wanted to talk to Edan. She displayed a slight air of annoyance when PopPop handed her the telephone. She curtly said, "Hello. I'm cooperating. Bye,"then handed the phone back to PopPop. It had been misting all morning, confirming the rainy weather forecast for the day. At noon the sun was shining, which signalled to the three of us that a walk to the distant playground was in order for the afternoon. We bundled up for the cool but clear afternoon, grabbed the stroller that this sturdy three year old can still fit into, and took off for the playground which was a good half mile away. Edan was still "cooperating" and rode willingly in the stroller. We left the three umbrellas at home since the mist had stopped earlier in the day. As she always does, Edan enjoyed playing in the distant playground which is close to where her best friend lives. There was a small one year old baby girl and her mom from France there. Edan immediately struck up a friendship with the mom and the little girl who was just learning to walk. She played ball with her, dug in the sandbox and just generally enjoyed playing with her new small girlfriend. Eventually a group of other girls came with their nanny to the playground but Edan was happy playing with the baby. Suddenly a small cloud appeared in the sky and a few drops of rain fell on our heads. We all dashed under the awning to wait until the cloud dispensed. To our surprise the sky opened up and a powerful shower began. We were protected from the rain and the girls all seemed to be happy playing. After fifteen minutes or so, the French mom and the nanny decided they would dash home with their girls during a brief respite from the heavy rain. PopPop and I gathered Edan, bundled her up in extra bunting in the stroller, unrolled the stroller awning to protect her from the gently falling rain, and we started on the half mile trip back to Edan's home. As soon as we hit the main street, the skies opened and a downpour began. Rain is common in San Francisco, but flooding must be rare because within a very few minutes the streets became rivers and the low places in the streets became lakes. Our umbrellas, our protection from the rain, were back at the house so PopPop and I quickly became drenched. We kept running on the sidewalks which were ankle deep in rain water at this point in time. Edan was staying pretty dry because the awning to the stroller protected her head and upper body, but her legs were becoming wet with rain water. There were very few people out in the deluge. They had all either taken refuge in a coffee shop, a restaurant, a store or were warmly watching the storm in the comfort of their homes or apartments. Edan, PopPop and I were the only visibly unprepared people on the streets. The two or three other people out in the deluge had huge umbrellas under which they walked in their furry jackets and fur trimmed boots. Did we look like unprepared tourists or not? Yes, we did. Edan remained calm, cool and collected as we sang songs and talked about our adventure, as if the flood had been a planned event for the day. We spotted the opening to a garage that would provide plenty of protection from the deluge for Edan and me while PopPop ran back two blocks to a drug store to purchase some umbrellas. Edan and I sang to the rain, "Rain, rain, go away. Come back another day." She commented that she didn't think the rain could hear us or it wasn't listening. So we sang it louder. Sure enough, the rain started slowing down and eventually was only a drizzle just as PopPop arrived with the newly purchased umbrellas. We resumed our trip back to the house. The streets were still like rivers and the four cornered intersections looked like lakes. Owners of businesses were all out in the streets, sweeping out the storm drains, clearing them of fallen leaves, limbs and debris so that the water would drain and business would hopefully resume again. Photographers were out with their fancy cameras taking pictures of what looked like the 100 year flood. We were having a hard time finding a place to cross the street without being knee deep in raging water. We knew that we couldn't carry Edan inside the stroller into the swiftly flowing rivers which previously had been streets only thirty minutes earlier. Suddenly a young woman appeared from behind us and told us to follow her to a stroller-friendly coffee shop across the street. She backtracked up the street and crossed at a place which was only ankle deep in flowing water. We willingly followed and entered the coffee shop looking like three water soaked cats. Edan was the picture of calmness and confidence, not scared at all, not even looking like she was the least bit perturbed at the events of the ill fated past forty-five minutes. We ordered hot chocolate for Edan and hot coffee for us, also ordered huge cookies and sat at a table to wait until the waters subsided. Since Edan doesn't like chocolate, she only ate the whipped cream on the top of the hot chocolate so I added the cocoa to my coffee. She did enjoy the huge macaroon cookie, though, eating it with gusto, even though she had had a large snack with the baby at the playground. When the rain completely stopped, we gathered our only slightly used umbrellas, the stroller and Edan and walked the rest of the way home. Edan's home never looked so good to PopPop and MeMe. Edan, still the calm, cool, collected three year old didn't seem negatively affected in the least by the frightening events of the afternoon. She ran up the stairs to the house and invited us to join her in playing with her toys, which we did even though we were emotionally exhausted from surviving the 100 year flood with our three year old grand daughter. Edan is a trooper. She proved that to us. Not one whimper, not one gripe, not one shutter, not one cry, not one groan during the entire ordeal. I know some adults I wish could have such calm composure during stressful events like she did. I think Edan will always believe that rain will go away if you tell it loudly enough and with firm authority to," Go away. Come back another day, " because it began "cooperating" when we gave it those exact orders. We should have thought to do it earlier, I guess. I just didn't dream it would be "cooperating" like Edan is.

THE PATIENCE OF RYAN

I've always heard of the patience of Job. The lessons in that book are hard to digest because I knew the trials that Job went through to finally have his blessings restored. It is a great spiritual lesson, but I witnessed a better lesson from my grand nephew Ryan.
Ryan is a joy to behold, always smiling, always talking loquaciously with his eyes shining like light bulbs on a Christmas tree. He is also always moving, always playing, just like every five or six year old boy I've ever seen.
At the Thanksgiving family reunion we have every year I witnessed the epitome of patience in the actions of Ryan, one in whom I never expected to see that characteristic. I've always seen joy and love in him, but patience was a new characteristic that I observed this year.
We always take Silly Putty for the kids to play with, lots and lots of Silly Putty. This year I couldn't find the glitter Silly Putty, which the girls always request. I did, however, find the glowing Silly Putty after visiting several stores. The regular Putty gives a lot of pleasure but the glowing Putty is the favorite of the fifteen children who were there this year. Actually I even saw the seven teenagers playing with some of it.
The secret to the glowing Putty is that it must be exposed to the light from a light bulb in order to store up elements so that it will glow in the dark. Don't ask me how that works, I don't know. I just know that it does.
Ryan had remarked that his Putty wouldn't glow in the dark, and he showed me that fact by opening his jacket and putting the Putty in the darkness under his arm. That was a new take on checking it. Usually the kids went into a dark room. Sure enough, his Putty was glow-less under his shirt.
I told him that he needed to put it under the lamp so it would soak up the light. He immediately ran (like he always does) to the living room. I assumed that he would hold it up to the light bulb, like the other kids had done. About ten minutes later I observed Ryan sitting on the couch patiently waiting on the Putty to do its light storing. Only problem was, he had put it on the table under the lamp, not close to the light bulb.
We instructed him that the Putty needed to be closer to the light bulb. He immediately held it up close to the light bulb, but not close enough to get burned. We had cautioned him about that.
We went along doing our hostess and host duties, forgetting that Ryan was on an important mission.
About fifteen minutes later I happened to wander through the room where Ryan was patiently holding his Silly Putty up to the light bulb with his little arm. We had neglected to tell him that it only took a minute or so to accomplish the feat. His little arm must have been so tired, but nothing could separate him from his task. He was the picture of patience, and with a smile on his face all the time.
One lesson to be learned from Ryan and the Silly Putty is that it is not Ryan's nature to sit quietly, just like it's not our nature to wait for prayers to be answered. Ryan's quietness was one miracle. Another lesson is one that Job also learned. Getting closer to the brilliance of the True Light and not listening to men has great rewards. The other lesson is that Ryan's great patience paid off because the Silly Putty was finally glowing with vibrancy as he showed me its brilliance, again under his arm under his jacket, not in a dark room like the other kids would do.
When I think of patience I will always think of Ryan sitting patiently with his arm holding the Silly Putty up to the light bulb soaking up the light so that it would glow.
We must learn to be like Ryan, patiently waiting for our prayers to be answered, soaking up the Light of God with a smile on our faces with calm expectation.
The story of Job is enlightening, but Ryan exemplifies patience to me more explicitly.
Who would believe that Silly Putty would be a teaching tool of God's patience!
Thank you, Ryan, for the image of patience and its rewards. The dull Silly Putties of life that have lost their brilliant glow can always be restored with faith and patience, especially when we wait with a smile on our faces and expectation in our hearts like Ryan did. Then we will not hide the Light of the answered prayer under a bushel, or under a jacket, but it will be visible for all to see the goodness of God.