Lessons learned while hanging out with my grandson:

I spent the day with this beautiful little boy. What a fun time we had! We had lunch together with his mom and one of my daughters. Then we were off to a busy day outdoors in the 90 degree weather. Whew! It was hot!

First we listened to one of Papa's bands, Latinismo! Little man was the center of attention. So adorable! Then we headed to a carnival to ride some rides and sweat some more! lol

So these are a few of the thoughts running through my head after a very active day with this little bundle of energy.

1.  If you find something you enjoy, give it 100%. And don't worry about who's watching or what they'll think.
     (Dancing while Latinismo! is playing. Adults are usually more concerned about what others will think than about their own enjoyment. I think the crowd enjoyed watching more than he enjoyed dancing!)

2. If you're curious about something, tune everything else out and look and listen intently. You never know what you might learn.
     (Fascinated by the drummer, he literally didn't move through three songs! And I bet if you asked him afterward, he would say he knew how to play drums. When was the last time you tried to learn something new?)

3.  Anything can be interesting if you just take time to look.
     (While we sat in a coffee shop to cool off for a few minutes, he 'read' a golf magazine. Every. Single. Page. Cover to cover. Trust me, he isn't into golf. But that was irrelevant. There were pictures so he put words to them. How quickly we lose the ability to use our imagination!)

4. Making friends really isn't that hard. It only takes a few minutes and just one thing in common. In this case, a simple desire to go down the slide and 5 minutes. 2 minutes waiting in line, 2 minutes going up the stairs, 1 minute flying down the slide.
     (The little boy in the middle was an almost instant friend. After just 5 minutes of 'knowing' each other, they were ready to go on to the next ride together! We adults usually just make things too complicated.)

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5.  Persistence often pays off! And you never know how you'll do on something if you don't try.
     (I NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, do carnival games. I also never ride carnival rides. But today I did both. He got me on the kiddie cars AND the bump cars. Yep. Grandchildren are the grandest! Anyway, the first thing he saw when we arrived was a kid with a 'flaming bat.'
"Grammy, I want a flaming bat."
"Grammy, I really like that flaming bat!"
"Grammy, can we get a flaming bat?"
"Grammy, will you get me a flaming bat?"
The bats were at the balloon-dart-throw game. Thinking I was being very proactive, I asked the carnival worker what it would cost to get one of those bats if I couldn't pop the balloon. He said just pay $5.00 and if I missed, he'd still give little man the bat. Since I had that information, I let little man throw. He missed the first time. But the nice guy gave him another chance. He popped a balloon on the second try! Silly Grammy. Should have had more faith! He got the flaming bat.)

6. And most important lesson of all. It's ok to just be silly sometimes! Life is short. Enjoy it!

As adults, we often judge ourselves and others by the labels that society gives. Disabled, challenged, special needs, too short, too tall, too fat, too thin, too old, too young, too inexperienced, too rude, too shy, too . . . fill in the blank. We all have limitations and areas where we just don't quite measure up, mentally, socially, or physically. I have a math disability. Not technically, but let's just say that college algebra was NOT my friend. The older I get the more I realize I also have a memory disability. lol. Maybe you are directionally challenged. Are you someone who wonders how you ever got from point A to point B before you had a GPS in your car?

No matter what limitations we have, we all have something to offer to the world. I love being around this little guy. He reminds me that right now, this very minute, is important. He challenges me to stop what I'm doing and see life from his point of view. He heads into whatever direction his imagination takes him with no regard for danger or consequences. He's intense. He's demanding. He's beautiful!

What labels, limitations, or disabilities are you struggling with? Is there a direction that your imagination is trying to take you but you're just too afraid to yield to it? Maybe a new job, a new ministry, a new relationship? Is God trying to give you a new plan for your life but your labels are holding you back? Be thankful that the only label God has given you is 'child of mine.' All you have to do is accept that. What a precious gift!.

Blessings!
Renea