Things I Learned from my 6-Year-Old Friend This Summer

During the “pandemic summer of 2020” – I had the privilege of spend two to three days a week with a sweet young friend.  She needed some tutoring and a calm, safe place during the week while the rest of her family worked.

The “virus” had shortened her kindergarten’s first year of school, so I wanted to help her learn and review some things before first grade.  Things like the ABC’s and how the letters sound, some basic math, what the three primary colors are, the names of coins, and how to measure flour for a chocolate cake.

We had fun too!

We did “ballet” to classical music (well-- she danced and leaped and I swayed and twirled a lot).
We drew on the driveway with sidewalk chalk.  We walked the 97-year old neighbor’s poodle for him.

There was painting, drawing and artful gifts created for everyone in her family.
There were conversations about life, God and family.
We read stories. We read from the Beginners Bible and we both were amazed at Creation itself.
We looked at birds with binoculars and played games that allowed our imaginations to escape this virus-laden environment.
Ice cream was enjoyed as we rested on the porch glider.
There were squeals of delight and sighs of momentary sadness because of who she was missing that day.

As I look back over the summer – I see that not only was I helping her learn – she was helping me learn too  -- or at least she was reminding me of things I needed to remember.

Here are a few lessons that came my way this summer:

      1. Be Thankful for Hugs.
Every time my sweet young friend and I would have a snack or lunch…we would stop to be thankful.  I shared with her that we were telling God things we were thankful for.  Many times she’d say “I’m thankful for hugs.”   What a great lesson for all of us adults to remember.  
Hugs are wonderful. Wonderful to get and wonderful to give. Especially in this crazy time of “social distancing” – aren’t we all missing some hugs?   Hug. And be thankful for hugs.

      2. Remember and Forget.
My favorite line from my 6-year-old summer friend was when she said -
“I remember everything. But sometimes I forget.”
What a lesson for us all! 
There are times to remember – good times of life.  Remember the times to say “thank you”–"I love you – “Let me help” – “ I forgive you” - “I’m sorry.” 
And there are times to forget – like old hurts that keep our hearts from healing, and times when it’s just better to “forgive and let it go.”  Even God says in Jeremiah 31:34 “For I will forgive…and their sin I will remember no more."
May we all learn when to remember the good and forget the bad, then I believe we would all enjoy life a lot more.

           3. Hold Hands
Isn’t it funny how one little thing a child can do or say can pierce your heart?
And so it was one day while we were walking the neighbor’s dog. My young friend had the charcoal grey poodle’s leash in one hand as I walked a bit behind her.
Suddenly she reached her other hand out and back toward me and said -
“Want to hold my hand?”  So I did.  And we walked hand in hand a while beside the poodle on a hot summer day and my heart was pierced.

Pierced because I couldn’t remember the last time in my life that someone actually held out their hand to me and said “do you want to hold my hand?”  And that thought makes me cry.

It’s a deeply personal invitation, you know, to hold a hand.
It’s an invitation to friendship, relationship, love.
It’s a sign of acceptance – a way of saying I like you just as you are.

So there you have it– the three “Things I Learned from my 6-Year-Old Friend This Summer.”
Be thankful for hugs. 
Remember the good and forget the bad.
Hold hands.

It’s been an amazing summer.

 Mary McGuire

August 2020

30 Days to "Better"

During this time of Coronavirus  "stay home orders" - we all have a choice: We can think of the worst or we can head toward "Better."

Let's choose to use this time to think better.

My Friend Brenda

During a mixed media workshop- the project was a watercolor and colored pencil portrait.
I chose to photograph and paint my friend Brenda.  I loved the "glow" we got in the photo and kept the portrait bright and glowing.  I think she liked it.

A watercolor and colored pencil created for my friend Delvan Ford.
June 2018

30 Day Art Challenge

February 2018 - I participated in a 30-Day Art Challenge, hosted by  Matt Tommey.
The challenge was posted on FaceBook. It was a fun experience and experiment.
View the challenge and my FB page.
Here's a couple of my favorites from the challenge:

 

Bats in the Attic

It was a pleasant August morning as I stepped onto my front porch to fetch the paper.  As I stood for a moment, soaking in the fresh air and sunrise, I noticed birds swooping around my yard.  Lots of them!  I heard that “small quiet Voice” say “Go stand in your driveway and look at the end of your house.”  I did. 

There I was, with newspaper in hand, standing in the driveway -- startled at the realization that a colony of bats was swarming into the eaves of our home!

Yuck!  Not a happy thought!

Needless to say – I headed to wake my husband, Tommy, and tell him the news.  Then I was off to the internet to discover someone in our area who could be my “Batman” and come remove these creatures from my attic.

 

After some investigation, Tommy called a company in Greensboro to come to our rescue.  But in the meantime…I was praying! 

“Lord, I know You made bats for a purpose – but I don’t want them in my attic.  Please – move these bats!”

And you know what – by the time the Animal Control folks arrived – the bats were gone.

Of course – they left some mess behind.  And they also left me with another spiritual analogy.

Just like those bats found a small way into my attic – so thoughts from enemy of our souls swarm around us – looking for an entry point into our minds and hearts.

It doesn’t have to be big.  “Small” works just fine for the spoiler.  Small lies.  Small dissatisfactions.  Small complaints.  You know how it goes…a small “white lie” to cover your own errors and still look good.  Just a little gossip…a little grumbling.  “Just this once”…

Before we know it…small becomes BIG.  Big becomes BIGGER.  “Just this once” becomes an addiction. And the bats in our attic have become a huge problem because we did not stand still, hear that small voice and watch for the enemy’s attempt to enter.

When our Animal Control folks arrived – they had a great process they followed.

·         They took a good hard look at our house and determined where the bats were entering and looked for other places they might get in.

·         Then they did repair work.

·         They put up protective barriers over the vents in our eaves to keep more bats from entering.

·         They cleaned up the mess left behind by the bats.

It’s a similar spiritual process for us, isn’t it?

·         We need to look hard at our thought life. 
Where are the entry points for the enemy?  Is it TV?  The internet?  Is it the movies we watch or what we read? Maybe even the crowd we hang out with?

Jesus warned us like this…"And if your hand--even your stronger hand--causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell." - Matthew 5:30 NLT

Ephesians 4:27 says it too- “do not give the devil a foothold."

What do I need to “cut off and throw away”?

·         We need repair work!
Over and over again, we find in the book of Kings and Chronicles where the Israel’s enemies attacked their cities and the temple would need repair.

In Ezra 9:9 we see the prophetic picture of how God helps with repairs!  
"Though we are slaves, our God has not forsaken us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem."

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst?" - 1 Corinthians 3:16

·         We need protective barriers.
I need them over my mind, my thought life, my emotional and spiritual attitudes.

God Himself gives me HIS own armor…
"He (the LORD)  put on righteousness as his body armor and placed the helmet of salvation on his head. He clothed himself with a robe of vengeance and wrapped himself in a cloak of divine passion."
Isaiah 59:17 NLT

"Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:17 NLT

"But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation."
1 Thessalonians 5:8 NLT

·         We need a heavenly clean-up crew!

The attic of my mind needs regular cleaning!  In fact – it’s more like Romans says – my thinking needs “transforming”!

 

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." - Romans 12:2 NLT

The really good part is – Jesus is always ready and willing to clean me up.
"Jesus reached out his hand and said --"I am willing…Be clean!" - Luke 5:13 NIV

 

Now the bats are gone…the entry points blocked…the clean up done…and I am thankful for “Batman” and his side-kick.  And I am thankful for another spiritual reminder- even if it was inspired by an attic full of bats!

 

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." - 2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV

 

 

 

 

Signs

While walking yesterday, I stopped at a corner less than three blocks from my house and watched a van make a hasty and reckless turn down my street.

Less than 20 feet behind where I stood, the van ran onto the curb, into a yard and right over a speed limit sign. As I spun around, I watched the van pull to a stop and a young woman jump out.

“Are you OK?” I asked as we walked toward each other – arriving in front of the flattened street sign.

“That’s the last time I’ll try to unwrap a hamburger and hand it to someone in the back seat while driving!” she sputtered. Again I asked if she and her vehicle were alright. She said all seemed fine. Soon we both were on our separate ways and I finished my walk…but not before the Lord use this strange incident to show me something valuable.

It’s interesting and a bit ironic that it was a 25 mph speed limit sign that was leveled because that young woman was going too fast for the turn and too focused on something other than her driving. No one died. No one even seemed hurt. The vehicle appeared relatively unharmed--but the sign was flattened.  Only later did I even think about the fact that I was walking beside that very same sign just moments before. Thank You, Lord, for protection!

God reminded me that He has lots of signs for me too --signs and symbols that show His love, protection and guidance for me.

Daniel 4:30 says “How great are His signs…” 

 Just like a road sign warns me that the bridge is out ahead or that there is a sharp curve ahead or that I should drive 25 mph to be safe in this neighborhood—so God’s signs are just as valuable.

Psalm 86:17 says “Show me a sign for good...” 

A speeding, reckless young woman and flattened road sign spoke volumes to me as I walked home. I had to ask myself how many times have I sped past an important sign. How often do I race down life’s road, paying no attention to the signs, distracted by some trivial thing, and end up in a wreck? Do I slow down enough to read the signs God places in front of me “for good”?

 It’s certainly a lot to ponder. How’s your driving?

Thanks for pondering with me...
Mary