A Grandfather's Reflection

A Grandfather's Reflection

I bring to you my guest blogger for today, my Dad.

It was a beautiful morning. The sunshine felt good on my face as I stepped out into the front yard. I looked up to enjoy the warmth of the California sun that penetrated the cool breeze of spring. There was a special tinge of freshness on this sunny morning left by the previous night’s light rain. I was enjoying myself when I heard a tiny, angelic voice.

“This flower is for you. Don’t lose it or else I will be “galit” to you.” She was using a Tagalog word which meant “angry.” She is my 3-year old granddaughter who had just plucked a fresh, yellow flower from the dewy green grass. There she was in front of me, smiling sweetly. I bent forward ceremoniously to accept the flower from her tiny outstretched hand. It was one of those little flowers that grow without any help from people.

Most people do not mind these little flowers. They grow by themselves. They are cut down by the weekend gardener to make the garden look neat. Or people simply walk over them unmindfully. But a little girl picked up one and suddenly the little yellow flower began to take on a special role. It became a symbol of love. From the pure heart of a little child to the weathered heart of an old man, her grandfather.

It was a lesson I could have easily missed – that love can be found in the unimportant, in the things that we take for granted, in the things that cost us nothing. I thank God for this unhurried moment – a precious moment to smell the wild flower, to put DGD2's hand in mine and feel my hand in God’s. It was a moment in the spring in California that I will never forget. This old man, retired from the busyness of the world, has found something precious.

“Did you lose my flower?” She asked me in the afternoon. “No, I kept it,” I replied. In my heart, I knew I will never lose that yellow flower. I will never lose God’s pure love. This little angel was making sure. She is DGD2. How I love her.