ann kiemel

i have just spent six days

taking care of my grandbaby, colben.

one year old.  ringlets all over his head,

and full of loving mischief.

 

every night, i bathed him and shampooed his

hair, and it was a perfect deal breaker re: his

going to sleep.  we love each other.  i act half-

crazy with him.  don't care what anyone thinks,

my head just flies off;.  brains and sensibility and

whatever protocol there should be. i could care less

what anyone thinks.  only the beautiful reward of his

laughter and giggles and little games that are just

between us. 

 

one night, i was in a hurry to get the bathing routine

out of the way, so i got into the tub, and lifted him in.

have you ever thought how beautiful it is that a baby

looks at you as if you are heaven itself, and doesn't

even know the imperfections of an old body.   for him,

i am perfect in every way.  i pour water over his head.

we laugh.  then, i lift him out.  and myself. and wrap

each of us in towels.  put a gown on, then proceed to

slather him with baby lotion in every crack and crevice,

and put his jammies on.

 

oh, i love this baby.

and i just bend over in pain at the

thought that anything would ever harm him.

 

babies don't care, or even notice, if we are

high-fashion models or 66yr. old grandmothers.

no flaw is significant.  they are searching for love.

little, new people who just want to be gently loved

and hovered over and fed.  wouldn't it be

beautiful if we all were like this?

 

that we never looked across the room at

someone, and walk in another direction because

we see a handicap person or someone that looks

like the dregs of society.

 

Jesus says that when we look and care for

"the LEAST" of these, we are serving Him.

it is as if the hungry and poor and needy are

angels , and God is just checking us out to see

how solid and pure and humble our love for others

"the least of these" really is.  these are the ways God

checks our hearts. 

 

oh, i just want to be watching and searching for

the seemingly "least", because then i know that

i truly AM making a difference in the world as God

has asked us to do.

.