Walking With God

This week I was in cleaning mode. On Thursday I was dusting but Gracie had had enough time to herself under her play gym and was not afraid to let me know it. I decided to take her along on my cleaning journey. We started by dusting the piano and really never made it much further.

I was showing her all the pictures and Willow Tree Angels and telling her who all the people were and who gave me the angels. She seemed very enthralled; but, then again, she always does these days. She's like a little sponge soaking every word and image in.

There is one particularly special piece on our piano. It is a picture with the "Footprints" story on it. It is also a music box and when you wind it up it plays "Amazing Grace" and a little white dove glides across the picture. My Grandma Billie (my mom's mother) gave it to me when my Mimi (her mother) passed away. Mimi always had this picture in her room and I just loved to wind it up and watch the dove dance.

I wound up the music so Gracie could watch the bird "fly" while I read her the story. She loves the dove as much as I do. She couldn't keep her eyes off of it. As I read the story, for about the hundredth time, it began to touch me in a way it never has before. I was holding Gracie on my hip and tears came to eyes. Here I was, carrying Gracie because she just needed a little "Mommy" time and I thought about how God does the exact same thing for His children. Sometimes I'm playing under the play gym of life and even though I know He's right there watching over me I just need a little "Daddy" time. A little time to be carried. And He picks me up and carries me just like I do for Gracie.

I've needed to be carried quite a bit over the past couple of years. Sometimes I didn't even know it and I would probably be just like the guy in the story that asks, "Why did you leave me when I needed you most?" Becoming a parent has helped me to understand God's Love so much better. I will walk by Gracie forever. Some days she'll need me to carry her and one day she'll need me to start letting her make her own decisions. She'll even need me to let her make mistakes. I will let her walk the path of life and I may not always be able to be there physically but I will always be there.

God will walk by His children forever. He will let us make our own decisions and even make mistakes. He will carry us when we need Him to and one day we will walk with Him in Heaven. Just as I believe my Mimi is doing today.

Note to Gracie:

I will carry you, little girl, whenever you need me to. You will grow up and go to school and move away but I will always carry you when you need me to. I will do my best to teach you about God and His Love. I want you to learn about Jesus and I pray that one day you accept Him as your savior. I love you Gracie Girl, and your Daddy loves you and Jesus loves you most of all.