What do you do with water?

   And they were all pointing to their moms, their dads, the teachers in the Sunday School and there was such a cloud of witnesses....And she asked, "What do you do with water?"......I waited for their answer...

She stepped out from behind a door and gave me the most enormous hug.  She had grown so lovely and so tall.  I am quite confident it was just yesterday she was 12.  She is and will be a lovely woman of grace and strength. 

And she posted one of my favorite verses..."may you be rooted and grounded in love.."  And just like yesterday she was just 3.  She is a lovely young woman too and full of grace...

And she will marry this year and I can remember her 3rd birthday and my husband remembers the day she was born and that had to be like just last week...And she is a lovely young woman who is so much wiser than her years...

And isn't amazing how quickly they grow in strength, wisdom and grace?  And how does that happen?  How do we grow children?

And she asked them that morning, "what do you do with water?"
They said..."You drink it..."
The cloud of witnesses all laughed and stretched their necks to see and smiled...One small one said..."You take a bath..."  And the cloud of witnesses laughed again...we all know how tough it is to get small ones to take baths and not so small ones for that matter...

But they knew...
Water is for drinking and bathing...

And maybe this how we grow children... with water...maybe this how they grow in wisdom and grace...maybe you bathe them and give them something to drink...

And he held both of them and bathed them water...the oldest first and then the baby...and he asked...will we love them?...will we play with them?...will we given them something to drink when they are thirsty?....

And I think this may be  how children grow and grow strong and grow in wisdom and grow in grace...

With water...the little ones knew...you drink it and you bathe with it...

It is not magic water...It is just plain holy water...and if we do these things...love, play and give them living water to drink when they are thirsty...maybe just maybe they grow strong, they grow in wisdom, they grow in grace...

And I made promises to those three young women and I was there...and I watched it work...and how blessed I am to watch children grow up and be wise, full of love and grace, and be so grounded in love...

And I wish them so well....I wish them to remember...and I know they will:

Remember your baptismal vows and keep them holy...Thankfully the spiritual life does not require perfection.  It just requires commitment and humility.  Grace fills in the rest.

And may you always dance...

Give faith a fighting chance....

You can trust in the provision of the moment...Grace always knows what we need...

Be grateful for your life even before you know how it is going to turn out...

Love needs very few words...the only words that matter are the ones we live...

Don't forget to pray...

You will do great things...I already know...

Grateful for all the small, young, half grown, nearly grown and grown children that have and are in my life....you bless and teach me more than you will ever know...

Kathleen