Goodness and Mercy

We have been aware of the presence of Goodness and Mercy,
but we have finally come face to face...

They appear tattered and worn on the outside,
but on the inside..their spirits are refreshed by the thought
that they have been sufficiently acknowledged.

Isn't that how it is?
We 'feel' a presence,  just like we 'feel' the wind...
but when we finally see it face to face....
like leaves swirling in mid-air...
we can truly believe!

Goodness..who is nicknamed 'ohma'
because of Grammy's favored saying,...repeated often by Xavier .."ohmagoodness"..
is now known ..
as something God shares with those who seek Him.
Her dearest friend is Mercy...
formerly known as a very southern term ..followed by very many exclamation marks...
is now known for being one of God's greatest gifts!

These two have been around for quite a long time...

working steadily... all these days... in the home of Grammy and Big Daddy.

They scurried silently through the rooms...


...Welcoming children who would call out "Grammy and Big Daddy"...

Xavier, lover of all God's tiniest creatures...
including Chicky Chick...who would go to Heaven, not long after Easter...

and Baby Bun...
wounded beyond repair, who we would lose the following week...

loving them with his tender heart, whilst they were on this earth...


Princess Kyleigh...who would enjoy her very first Tea Party......

..... ever smiling...Colin...

..and "Miracle at Christmastide"... newborn, Sophia...

Around the kitchen, they'd sneak ... smelling eggs that were 'scrandled'...

spying their Dormice friends, John Jacob and Eliza....

 ...passing Scout's favored 'circle of sunshine' she found each morning, in the foyer...

And up the stairs...


into the play room....
watching Xavier as he played with a set of 'lincoln logs'...
enjoyed and cherished so many years ago, by my Matthew, Cale, and Olivia....

and the wooden train set...each piece, a Christmas gift for my mother , who began requesting the set when she became a 'memaw,' and her grandchildren became toddlers...

out the windows, they hopped....

...landing with a bounce, into the blooms of the climbing hydrangea..

...and into the blushing petals of the 'Bride'...

'neath the towering stalks of Xavier and Grammy's Hollyhocks...

...stopping to gaze at the first bloom of Xavier's 'Rainbow' summer cutting garden....

down the drive...
to the pond and the great marshmallow tree...

a little boy claimed as his own....

......Sprinkling their blessings every where they stopped to rest.

How evident are their gifts all around...do you see? Goodness and Mercy are everywhere at once..for that is the nature of these two ..

They are now joined by a new friend, Shirley...

Who shares with Goodness and Mercy, the resource she has found...in Grammy's growing library...

(Thankful to a very talented craftsman, Seth Tudor...
son of our beloved Tasha Tudor....who crafted the wooden art stand)

..and Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy shall follow Grammy and Big Daddy for all the days of their lives...

into their new home,
and into the lives of their children and grandchildren.
Such a gift!
How blessed we are!
And one day, we will all dwell in the house of the Lord!

These are the children...along with the ones who love our children...and the grandchildren ...of Grammy Christie and Husband...worshipping on Easter Sunday...
All of us together, at once. I believe it was a first. God is so Good.

Thank you, in advance, all my dear friends...new and dear...tried and true...
for all of your prayers in these next several...
very hectic...
days ahead.
May God add His richest blessings upon you!

An evening with Xavier

What to do ....scrandled eggs had been eaten, cars had been played with, Lincoln Logs stacked, and small scissor practice complete ...this little 4 year old keeps a grammy on her toes. I had been packing all day, he had spent a long day at school, so we finally landed in one big lump on the big chair, under a snowy white comforter. He asked if John Jacob and Eliza (our resident dormice) could come down from their home on the mantel to play.
Then of course, he summoned their old car.
"What kind of car is this, Grammy?" He often asks questions, of which the answers escape me ...I don't know how I made the connection or how far back I searched into the recesses of my mind, but I answered,
"It looks like a 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' car" and his response, "What is THaT?"

I have discovered anything in the whole wide world can be found on the internet...and this was not an exception. The entire movie was found...in parts, of course...and at first sight of that magical car, he was entranced.
As I held the iPad, he held the little truck next to the screen to compare the vehicles...it was an awfully close match...when you have the imagination of a 4 year old.
Is the resemblance not amazing?

Xavier examined every detail, and in his little mind, his car was magically transformed!

The movie continued, and the white down comforter became the water... his magic car floated along it's waves, as he held John Jacob and Eliza....out of harms way….

The little dormice were enjoying the play, as they were squeezed in and out of the "magical car"...

When Chitty drove off the cliff, and began to fly, Eliza and John Jacob soared through the air as well…..

The two little dormice have such fat little bodies that John Jacob's backside protruded through the rear window of the car, much to Xavier's delight!  He chuckled each time I tried to push his "behind" back into the car....saying, "Grammy, look at his be-hiney!" ..more giggling...oh, the silly sense of humor at this age! Somehow the term became "hiney-end"....more giggling!
The conversations between the dormice and Xavier continued through the evening...leading to conversations between Grammy and the dormice, Grammy and John Jacob, John Jacob and Eliza, Xavier giving Grammy instruction on words to recite ...voices switching to mice-y voices as each of us assumed our character roles.
Such an imagination... Such fun.... Wishing he could always remain this jovial little boy!

The movie continues...and, as the scene unfolds, revealing the grandpa in his tiny house, dangling in the air,  John Jacob was promptly hung upside down, as Xavier grasped the tip of his tail with his little fist!

(Eliza remained close to Grammy, perched on her shoulder, as she is quite afraid of heights... and being dangled by her tail!)

The visit drew to a close when Xavier's mommy walked through the door. It was time for socks and shoes and hugs and kisses.  He just could not part with his new little friend, who he now referred to simply as, Jacob ...the mouse fit just right in his little hand.  I leaned over and whispered in his ear, (for 'whispering in ears' is a newly acquired skill, procured in pre-school) "You may take him home with you, if you will be very careful with his whiskers... and his tail....and try not to tease him too much about his "hiney-end"! Xavier squealed and chuckled that 'little boy chuckle'.

Sweet John Jacob gave a snuggly hug and kiss to his dear Eliza…..

And then he said his affectionate 'good-bye' to Grammy…

Quite excited over his dormouse,  Xavier hopped and bounced out the door to his mommy's car...holding the little mouse in the air once more...beaming with pride...giggling, as his last words tumbled from his little boy mouth, "Grammy, he has a big hiney-end!"

And with waves and kisses blown, they pulled away.

The pictures grasp tiny highlights of the evening...intended only to remind a grammy and her grandson of a splendid evening of imaginative play, inspired by a wonderfully delightful movie, remembered from  Grammy's childhood.  But, if it serves as a reminder to seize an opportunity....to stop...and play...and imagine... as a child....then it has served an even greater purpose!


Note to readers:
I had not remembered the character's name being "Truly"...or that the little girl's name was "Jemima"...
After I posted these photos and referred to the movie, I received a message from one of my daughter's dearest friends...her name is Truly, as well, and she remarked, "this is my movie!"
This dear girl grew up in New Hampshire, one of eight children. Her mother visited with our beloved Tasha Tudor, in Tasha's home, and has aspired to live the same lifestyle ...on a farm, with a myriad of animals, homeschooling the children who remain at home...living her dream, with her husband and family.
How amazing that she and my daughter have such a friendship and that their mothers have a kindred bond, as well, even though they have never met. Messages are sent back and forth through the girls, to the mothers, for now.

One day, I am hopeful we will meet.
Such an inspiring testimony to the fact that God is good,
and sometimes he blesses us with such delightful occurrences...certainly not coincidence!

Scrandled Eggs for 'The Girls'

It had been a while since Xavier visited with Ava and Andrea M'lynn, and he decided they needed to come to the tea table for dinner.
He began the task of setting their places...dividing the silverware between the two...plates, teacups, and salt 'n pepper shakers followed.

 A hop, skip, and a jump up the stairs to the playroom, and back down again...juggling a mixing bowl with his "scrandled eggs" and two tiny toy cats, one for each. He explained carefully to the girls, "The cats are to wook at, not to pway wiv!"

Andrea M'lynn is raising her hand, asking permission to speak...this goes unnoticed as Xavier scoops little spoonfuls of sugar in their teacups...he believes they will not mind if he put in too much ...
Salt and Pepper sprinkle onto the plates, which hold visions of eggs..."scrandled" to perfection.

I believe our little grandson is learning more and more each day....and how glad it makes "The Girls" to have his most sincere intentions offered on a pretty afternoon in May!