Chapter 8: Grandchildren

“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.”
--Psalm 9: 1

“Grandchildren are the crown of the aged…”
--Proverbs 17: 6a

On a muggy day in the summer of 1979, I stood on the driveway with my mother, watching my five-year-old daughter and my sixteen-month old son. Like most kids, they had been acting out a bit. As Marci recklessly rode her Big Wheel and Phil tottered about, I was complaining to my mother and wondering if I’d ever find a moment’s rest. She answered my lament by saying, “Enjoy these years, Jerri! They are the best of your life. Time passes and children grow up quickly…”

As I changed a stinky, poopy diaper later in the day, I doubted her words of support, but I seemed to blink twice and Marci graduated from high school. The following fall, I distinctly remember thinking, “Marci’s gone to college, but that’s okay. I still have four more years with Phil.” But in another blink of my eyes, Marci got her Bachelor’s degree and Phil finished his high school education—and both were gone...

To read the rest of this chapter, you will now need to buy my book, Simple Faith, Mighty Faith, published by Cornhusker Press and released 7-3-2011. Go to my website, http://www.JerriHaussler.com for ordering details. Thank you!

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Thoughts to Ponder/Points for Discussion

1. If you are a young parent, are you patient with your children as you give them your time? Are there supportive others who can help you share your burdens?
2. If the years have passed you quickly and you didn’t take the time to enjoy your children and grandchildren, what can you do now to rectify that? How does your faith influence these relationships?