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I’ve had the privilege of spending time with my almost two-year-old granddaughter for the past month. Mommy had a brand new baby girl, and I came out to witness the happy event and help for a few weeks. We’ve been enjoying many activities together – tea parties, stroller walks when the weather permits, reading books, singing favorite songs (The Little Drummer Boy and Frosty the Snowman are continuing well past the holiday season), and delighting in each other’s company. I wouldn’t trade this time for the world, and just as I am hopefully teaching a few things during this treasured visit, I am learning some valuable lessons as well.

Just like many grandparents I like to treat my grandkids to out-to-eats and occasional “just because I love you” presents. So, out on errands one day, Libby, Mommy, Baby Bekah and I planned to stop at a fast food restaurant to have a little lunch. Libby was excited to hear we were going to have a meal at one of her favorite eateries. Her menu choices are usually the same – fries with “dip” (ketchup) and yogurt parfait. Mommy and I ordered side salads and water – we did just wade through a couple weeks of holiday fare, after all, and with those, I brought Libby’s preferred food items to the table. After prayer, we began to enjoy our meal. Libby slowly and methodically ate her food. She started with the fries, switched to the parfait, went back to the fries, drank some water, etc. My daughter and I finished within 20 minutes, but Libby continued eating. I was beginning to think that things were dragging on, but I wasn’t sure if it was out of the ordinary until my daughter said, “This must be the longest lunch time anyone has ever taken!” We both began to laugh hysterically. Seriously, Libby finished her last bite about an hour after she had begun. Had we known the stats ahead of time, we might have called Guinness for a world record attempt. The funny thing is, Libby was not dawdling because she was loath to eat what was set before her. She was thoroughly enjoying every bite! To her it was a banquet to be savored, not rushed, a repast to be appreciated for as long as possible.

As I thought about what was probably the longest lunchtime I’ve taken in, well forever, I was reminded of something else that provides us with a feast which many of us take for granted and do not appreciate as we should: The Bible. It is a banquet for the soul that we should delight in every day. We ought to approach the time we spend in it with eager anticipation, but sometimes we are reluctant to even open its treasured pages. We should relish its principles and promises, but we often choose to ignore the wisdom it provides. We can linger over the passages we’re reading, but we may routinely plow through it, quickly scan it, or even neglect to view its contents all together. Like ungrateful, spoiled children we waste the provision set before us, not regarding or understanding the consequences of our poor choice.

Psalm 119 is a beautiful chapter in the Bible that is filled with verses that speak about the value of God’s Word. Here is just a portion of it to pray out to God and ponder:

“Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me Your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from Your mouth. I rejoice in following Your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on Your precepts and consider Your ways. I delight in Your decrees; I will not neglect Your Word.” Psalm 119:12-16

Entering a new year often seems to give us renewed determination to change something in our lives. Perhaps 2014 can be the year to make the Word a focus and a feast that we eagerly anticipate, taste delightedly, linger over and savor, and then appreciate and apply to our lives. Let your “lunch” be like Libby’s, deliberately long and enjoying every bite!

Are your children sick or is it too cold to play outside in the snow? If you are blessed (yes, blessed) to have some of the cold white stuff outside your door, take a tub and bring some in. Cover your table or counter with a plastic tablecloth. Use a bin or tub that is short enough to allow easy access for play. If you have more than one artist at your table, giving each his own shallow container for creating is a very good idea. Have participants wear sweaters and mittens. Use various safe utensils and molding implements to allow your child/children to create different snow sculptures.

Of course, snow and a snowman go hand in hand. One made pint-sized in the kitchen is a fun and very cute alternative to the front yard figure. Raisins or spare buttons can be used for eyes and front decorations and baby carrots make a great nose. A pastry brush is a fine broom. Cut a long narrow cloth scrap into a scarf. How about a plastic coffee scoop for a hat...voila, it’s a venerable Frosty!

No snow in your vicinity or on the horizon? Here’s a recipe for a substitute that will be fun, and not quite as cold:

FAKE SNOW

Mix 1 can of shaving cream and 2 boxes of cornstarch.

OR

Use a large box of baking soda and almost a full can of shaving cream and mix with hands.*

Make sure you use a large bin and work on a covered workspace. This is a very tactile activity and a lot of fun to experience. Using fake snow will require more clean up afterwards. It is not as easy to make a snowman with the fake snow, but it will form a ball or take the shape of a mold.

*The baking soda mix is a bit cold to the touch, but it will possibly sting small cuts, so take care when playing with it.

Start off the New Year right by implementing Family Devotions into your weekly schedule. Every kid watches his or her parents closely during childhood and early adulthood. A commitment to the study of God’s Word as a family will be a strong example throughout a child’s life, and will spur him or her on to “walking in the truth” in later years.

Start out by first committing to read God’s Word together once a week, and then build on that foundation by adding in more days, as you are able. You will see the difference it makes not only in the lives of your children, but in your own as well, including cultivating fellowship and growth within your family and in others around you.

An added reinforcement would be to “Sing God’s Word” together, using our CDs and curriculum and other Scripture songs you may have learned as a child. You can pick up any of our products by visiting our website. You can also preview clips of the songs here.

Congratulations to our giveaway winner, Gwenda Bruhn, from Cameron, Missouri. She picked up both CDs and a CD 1 curriculum in our Christmas contest through A Wise Woman Builds Her Home. Thank you to June Fuentes for her wonderful work on our promo.

Be on the lookout for more contest giveaways through Facebook and other social media in the future!

Meet all of our new CD 2 friends by visiting the character page on our website. You can also purchase our two main musical character Stuffies by clicking here. Until next time, God bless!