We are on a baby watch for our next grandchild. Since the soon-to-be big sister is here with us, I am re-publishing a Whisper from October 16, 2014.

When I am cooking in the kitchen, you will find me in a apron.
Not just any apron.
I love a certain kind of apron that I bought in Lancaster County.
The old fashioned kind of apron that covers well and has pockets in the front.

I have quite a few of these aprons.
With its homespun cloth, I am transported to a simpler time.
The long ties crisscross in the back and come around the front so I can tie them.
The pocket holds my glasses, which always come off when I read or do close work.

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Toddler-hood is a wonderfully exciting time.
Toddler-hood is also exhausting and not for the faint of heart.
I have been through the toddler years five times with each of my children.
I am now watching it from a different perspective with my grandchildren.

There is potty training during these toddler years.
There is training in manners.
There is training in patience, which can be a tough concept for a toddler to learn.
The world revolves around the toddler, according to them.

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We are getting work done at our house.
We have lived in this house for almost twenty-five years.
My husband maintains our home well.
The things we are doing now are mostly ascetic things.

I have always wanted better lighting in our family room.
With vaulted ceilings, I knew that recessed lights were the only solution.
We hired a remodeling company to do the work for us.
The new lighting in the family room was going to be done first.

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It is something we all take for granted.
We walk outside each day and retrieve it so we can bring it inside.
Some days we carry many things in our hands.
Some days we carry very little, with most of it ready to go in recycling.

Some people have to walk down their driveway each day to retrieve it.
Some just have to open their door.
Some only have to bend down and pick it up off the floor.
There are many ways we receive our mail each day.

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A friend and I pray together on the phone every week.
We look forward to our phone call.
We talk through things going on in our lives.
We talk about things that need prayer.

I often talk to her when I am walking.
I admit (and she already knows) that I usually have her talk when I am walking up a hill.
The hills are my time to listen.
It gives me a chance to catch my breath.

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She was raised in a Christian home.
Her parents expected her to go to church.
There was no excuse.
She didn’t mind though; she liked going to church.

Youth group was another story.
She went because it was expected, but that is all she did.
She never wanted to go to any activities.
She showed up for youth group and to her that was enough.

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We visited our son and daughter-in-love in DC this past weekend.
During one of our meals together, the subject of concerts came up in conversation.
I remember my first concert, I said, looking at my husband.
He should remember it, too, since he was with me.

Dad and I went to the concert on a date, I told my son and daughter-in-love.
We went to the Spectrum in Philadelphia.
That bit of information intrigued my son.
Wow, the Spectrum, he said knowing the history of the place and that is no longer there.

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It is always so lovely to linger after church.
There is usually someone with whom you want to catch up.
It seems to be different people each Sunday.
That is the joy of it all.

This day was no different.
In fact there were two people with whom I spoke.
It was during the second conversation, it happened.
A woman approached and stood back, so as not to interrupt.

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On a Bible study morning, I know the texts are going to come.
Women with young children can only put their plans in pencil.
Everyone’s heart is here in my home ready to study God’s Word.
Life sometimes, throws things at us at the last minute.

It has been one of those weeks.
Emails and texts came from various people with needs that demand prayer.
It is a privilege to be trusted with someone’s story.
They need help to carry the weight of their burden, since it is often too heavy to carry alone.

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I do not think about the contacts I have in my phone.
I know they are there.
They are alphabetized.
They are easily retrievable.

I have a favorite group in my contacts.
That was an easy group to put together.
It is simply my family.
Without searching, their numbers are all there.

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