Grace Comes Home {Day 9}

We were sitting at the kitchen counter this afternoon. Finishing up how many pennies make a nickel for first grade homework. There was a knock at the door. Sam drops his pencil. “Gracie!” he shouts and runs for the door.

Sure enough, there is Grace, our across the street neighbor. She is standing with her wagon full of chocolate bars. “Sam, want to go around the circle with me? I have more candy bars to sell.”

He looks to me and seeing my smile, he quickly puts on his shoes. He grabs some money to buy one of them. I stand at the door watching the two of them. I see Sam open one of the chocolate bars. He calls back “Mama, I think this would help sell them if I tell people how good they are. I’ll be a taste tester.” Further cementing my thoughts that he will be in sales or some sort of negotiating role.

Grace has been on vacation the last ten days. My son’s favorite playmate and friend. He is so excited she is home.

When we moved into our neighborhood this past spring, I wondered how it would be for Samuel. He loved his kindergarten. Now he would be in a different school.

Grace quickly alleviated concerns I had. All summer they ran back and forth across our tucked away street. They swam and rode scooters. They caught lightning bugs and ran around with the kids in the neighborhood. They played legos and rode in a pink motorized jeep. They made their own movie called “The Princess and the Robot”, because as Grace told me, they like different things.

And by the time fall rolled around, the first bus stop morning felt like we had lived here for years.

Just like her namesake, their friendship has been evidence of God’s goodness to me.

There is a tenderness and sweetness that I want to capture. I want to hold on to it. For them. For me. They pour out forgiveness and kindness not worrying that its supply will ever end. They teach me the truth that it won’t.

They teach me the truth that life is to be savored. Even when hard stuff comes- and to a six-year-old boy who trips and his glass jar with lightning bugs shatters on the driveway, hard stuff does come. Even when it comes, they cry…and they keep trusting. They keep laughing.

They are my teachers in this noticing business.

Another neighbor recently commented on their friendship, seeing how well they play together. She said “I wonder when the day will come that they decide boys and girls don’t play with each other?”

My prayer as I type these words is “Never”. Maybe I’m too idealistic in saying that. If so, I learned it from Grace and Sam.

I’m participating with The Nester in 31 Days of Noticing the Moment. This is Day 9.

You can find all 31 Dayers here. There are so many wonderful topics.

If you miss any days in the series, you can find introductory and each days post here.

Linking with Tell His Story

Lastly, if you would like to receive this month’s series in your inbox, submit your email address in the box at the top right. You will receive an email to verify, once you link via that email, here they come.