Such blessings

You know, when you're in the throes of raising young children, you don't know if you're doing well or not. If they're picking up on anything you're teaching them. If they're gaining any of the Christlike traits you want to instill in them.

I'm seeing glimmers these days.

Last week at church, Drew and Erin were sitting together a pew away from me. They stayed upstairs through the whole service and were remarkably composed for most of it (and when they weren't, they actually settled down when I gave them "the look"--heh, I always have dreamed of that day). At one point, Erin leaned against Drew in an "I love my big brother" sort of way. He leaned over and kissed her on her back. It was such a sweet, touching moment that neither of them know was witnessed by me.

Then, later that week, Erin wanted to play some card games with me. (Full disclosure: they were princess cards. Yeah.) Anyhow, the first 3 games were very typical four-year-old style: you know, where everything is manipulated so that the four year old wins, drama if it looks as though that will not happen, etc. But when we went back to playing those 3 games again, she surprised me. She said that she had already won 3 games and that it was MY turn to win the next 3. She put as much effort into my winning those games as she did into her winning the first 3. I was truly amazed. Let's face it--I play games for a living. Four year olds do not do this! Especially MY four year olds. But God has given her a heart that feels compassion for others. I am so blessed with these two children. By jove, with God's continued help they may just grow into compassionate adults even with all my flawed parenting.