Newsletter - September 2004

Dear Friends:

Do you ever get the feeling that life moves too fast? That you are skimming over the tops of the waves and there is a lot underneath the surface that you never get to? There are many of us who share those feelings!

One of the primary messages that I try to communicate to people who study with me or to those who read what I write is the message of slowing down. It is so important that we slow the pace of our days so we can live deeply and not just skim over the surface of all that God has for us. The reason I keep bringing this up is that fast-paced living is a very natural way of life for me. The only way I slow down is to keep reminding myself of the importance of slowing if I am going to live the way Jesus lived.

I have a relationship with two young men in my life who, although they are always on the move, teach me the value of taking time out to enjoy the simple pleasures of this life. The older of the two is Josiah. He is 6 and will be in first grade this year. Josiah knows a lot about life already having graduated from kindergarten, having learned to drive the John Deere “Gator” around their yard, and having mastered swimming under water this summer. He takes life quite seriously, but has not forgotten how to have fun.

Jeremiah just turned 4 and has not even thought yet about the possibility of taking life seriously. Life and fun are synonyms as far as Jeremiah is concerned. He engages in each activity with every molecule of his being whether it is running, eating, swinging, or digging holes in the sand. His motto would be, “Life is to be experienced, not studied.” He and Nike would agree, “Just do it!”

Josiah and Jeremiah are brothers and are two of my grandsons. They live near us so I am able to spend time with them on a fairly consistent basis. Now, I enjoy being with them, but I have found that hanging out with Josiah and Jeremiah has fringe benefits that I didn’t realize came with the grandmother job.

When I am with the boys, I get to experience life on a new level. For example, last week my husband, Warren, and I took them to the beach and then to Miss Lisa’s for ice cream. Now, how long does it take you to eat an ice cream cone? I can down one in five minutes – max! If I have an ice cream cone in my hand, I devour it. That’s what ice cream is made for, right? Well, I have now learned, via our grandsons, that ice cream was not made to be eaten – it was made to be experienced.

First there is the decision making process. It didn’t take too long to establish with the boys that the chocolate-vanilla swirl would be a good choice – kind of “best of both worlds” option. Then the boys were off to play on the swings and slides with Grandpa while I stood in line. When the ice cream was purchased and in hand, I handed one to each of the boys. I expected they would dig right in, but, no, first they had to be in the right place. I learned that you can’t eat ice cream just anywhere.

They knew just where they wanted to go: Over to the big swing where three could sit together. They clambered up, one at each end, successfully in place with cones at ready. But they couldn’t move the swing very well by themselves, so I was invited over to sit in the middle and, with feet on the ground (theirs didn’t reach, of course), make the swing swing. The ice cream eating stage was set, as it were, so now they were ready to begin the licking process. Little tongues make little licks, and bites are (apparently) not allowed. Warren observed us from the picnic table and I could almost hear him calculating how long this ice cream adventure was going to take.

Did you know that there are two ways to lick a chocolate-vanilla swirl ice cream cone? Josiah liked the stripe method. He licked around and around the ice cream so that chocolate and vanilla horizontal stripes began to appear out of nowhere. Making the pattern consumed him as he consumed the almost dripping ice cream. Jeremiah, on the other hand, liked the all-or-nothing method and figured out how to lick so that one entire side of the cone was chocolate and the other vanilla. I still do not understand how he did this, but it really happened!

OK, so we’re swinging, licking, and creating ice cream designs. The idea Warren and I had of making quick stop with the boys for ice cream was rapidly vanishing. We made some small talk with them, but they were both pretty well absorbed in their design and eating efforts, so I began to look around. I had never really observed people at an ice cream stand before, mainly because I had never stayed this long. But the boys forced us to slow down and, to while away the time while they licked, I began to take a peak at the others who were there.

Of course, everyone around us was eating ice cream. There were two girls on the top of the slide eating as if they were ensconced on a throne overlooking their kingdom. There were moms talking quietly, but happily, while eating ice cream on a bench while their children played and ate. There was an older couple sitting at the picnic table nibbling (not licking) at their baby sized cones. My favorite, though, was the little boy, maybe 6 or 7 years old, lying on his stomach across one of those swings that are made out of wide piece of flexible plastic. He was swinging, kicking up sandy gravel with his feet, singing, and, in between all of those activities, was taking licks of the ice cream cone he held in his hand. He was either multi-tasking or fully entering into the moment. I think the latter.

But most of the customers I saw were the hit and runners - like me on every day other than this one. They drove in, exited the car, got into the shortest line at the window, paced a bit while they waited, ordered, paid, grabbed, and were halfway finished eating the cone by the time they got back to their car and drove away trying to shift and gulp at the same time.

Who enjoyed the ice cream most? I think those who slowed down, those who savored, and those who saw ice cream as more than food – to them, it was a treat to be savored, it was an experience to be swallowed by.

Anyway, those are my thoughts for today. I believe it is God’s intention for us to fully experience this life He has given us. If you are having trouble doing that, maybe you could observe your children or, if you don’t have any, borrow one or two as we do!

Have a great God-centered day!

Bev

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