I wandered down to the basement bedroom and looked at what was left… a messed up bed and a playpen in one corner. But memories flitted through my head.
“I don’t want to eat anything yellow,” my great grandson had pouted.
“But the potatoes are beige,” I explained.
“Beige, beige, yuk.” It was a new word he was to repeat for several days and one I will always associate with my tiny visitor.
For 48 hours he and his sister had invaded the quiet of my home. It was delightful…”cherrios” everywhere, papers covered with circles and bright colours and scattered toys. But I was delighted when the batteries of the alphabet game finally died. The kids loved it but it drove me crazy.
They were packing up when I said, “Where are the little one’s blue shoes?” We searched everywhere and of course they could not be found, at least not until five minutes after they left. Years earlier I had chased my daughter in my car to hand her a bag of medications she had inadvertently left on my doorstep when she left home. Funny, how situations repeat themselves. But I no longer respond in such a carefree manner. I will send the little blue shoes by snail mail.
But as delightful as the little ones were, it was the two hours I spent with my now grown grandson that was the highlight of the trip.
He is a Catholic, actually considering the priesthood in the Ukrainian church. We both have deep beliefs and I am really challenged to explain mine. His—especially when it comes to communion—are somewhat different. I have no desire to change his. He has a strong faith and actually teaches religion, but we love each other deeply and that is perhaps why we do agree that the basis of our faith is love…love for God, for family and for others.
As we sat there struggling over religious issues that have been argued over for hundreds of years, I felt like we had stepped into the past. Perhaps our discussions were pretty simplistic but we were searching much the same way the scholars of yesteryear were.
Faith can get pretty complicated at times…the Trinity, the resurrection of the body, communion and the adoration of Mary. But, when it is done with someone you love and respect, you lose the competitiveness of making your point and you smile with affection and grant the other person their space, to believe in their way, what God is instructing them to do with their lives. And I think that probably pleases God. I hope so.
