Scribbles

For as long as I can remember, I have been a "play by the rules" kind of gal. No "coloring outside the lines" either. Keep everything neat. Everything has a place, and everything in its place, has been my motto, so-to-speak.

Until I hit the 70's. Not the 1970's. MY 70's. Age does something to a person. It mellows them. I think we finally learn the things we have always held to, has now become less than important. Or at least less important as we once thought.

Our oldest grand-daughter has taught me many lessons in finding ways to loosen up. Case in point: I keep a planner on the desk in my study. It helps me to write goals and to-do's on a calendar. It keeps me somewhat organized, so it's kind of a big deal. And of course, the planner must be all sufficient, with neat lines that allow clearly written notes. Always written in pencil, just in case something needs adjusted. No messy scribbling through jotted down reminders.

Reagan has always loved "working" in my study/office. Maybe because she learned from a very young age that if someone needed to find me, all they had to do was to go to my office. It's the hub of my existence. One day she decided it was she who needed to utilize the "big chair" and Grams who should sit in one of the occasional chairs, just across from the big desk. She would be the boss for the day; the one who did the questioning and giving out orders. I liked this set-up, so we let it play out. She was the best boss I have ever come across in my lifetime. So patient and understanding. It was a good day. *wink *wink

As any prepared entrepreneur would do, she began writing down her own notes (scribbles) in the protected planner. My initial response was to go on high alert. "Hey, sweetie. That's Grams journal. You can't write in it. Let me get you something else to write on." But, anyone who knows our Reagan, knows it will take more than a suggestion to change her mind about whatever it is she has decided to be a good thing to do. So, I walk over to where she is "writing" with the intention of removing it, when I looked at her and saw this angelic face that was having such a good time being like Grams. I cringed at seeing all my spaces being occupied with nothing but scribbles. Then she looks at me and says, "What does that say, Grams?" My heart melted and all of a sudden those scribbles became the most important notes written in my book. "Well, this one here says, 'My Grams loves me so much! She is just the best Grams ever!" And this one here says, "I love my Grams more than anything, and almost as much as my Momma." She corrected me on that one. "No Grams. You read that wrong. It says I love my Momma more than ANYONE!" "Oh yes, little stinker, Grams read that wrong. Sorry. You're right. It DOES say you love your momma more than anyone."  This dialog went on for a good 15, or so, minutes. She would scribble some more and ask me again what it said. We had so much fun that day, that it became somewhat of a weekly, if not daily, ritual. This 2022 Planner will be one that I keep, if for nothing else but to look back at and remember the conversations we used to have while playing in the study/office. It will always be a favorite of mine. This always neat, always rule following Grams, allowed a child to teach her a thing or two about what really matters.

These scribbles in my Planner were made over 2 years ago, now. Our girl is growing up so fast and can now read her own writings. She doesn't need Grams' far fetched interpretations. Interpretations that made sense only to Grams (and possibly Reagan Paige), and lives only in this Grams' mind. We now play the "read my mind" game, in which she asks us to tell her what she's thinking. We rarely get it right, but when she guesses what Gramps, or myself, is thinking, she ALWAYS gets it right. "Reagan is the best girl I have ever known." "I love her so much." "I love her more than anything." "She is so smart!" This list goes on. She gets us...

I'll leave you with this thought: Even when your life feels as if it's nothing but a bunch of scribbles, don't underestimate the strong foundation being built by those scribbles. Barbara Johnson, Christian Author and Humorist, said it best: "Trial and triumph are what God uses to scribble all over the pages of our lives."

As always, here you'll find me...in Mary's World