What a weekend we’d had. It had been crazy, full, and exhausting as we babysat our granddaughters ages 3 and 1. Oh, the energy needed to keep up and might I add, we’re not 30 anymore! Only hours into our weekend, we’d been through every fun activity in the house. Thank goodness bedtime was soon.

Our daughter had given us very good instructions on bedtime routines for the baby. “Easy” is how she’d put it. “Just say goodnight, wave goodbye and give her the blankie and bottle.” Again, I emphasize “easy”. Well, that didn’t work. Instead, after that routine I rocked the baby, careful to not make eye contact while stealing a peek until her eyes fluttered shut. When her body made sleepy twitches, I thought I was in the clear. Then came the attempted stealthy move to get her into the crib without waking her. Well, so much for my stealth. What followed was Nanny laying on the floor within baby’s sight (again not making eye contact) until she finally gave up. (Note: Nanny might have actually fallen asleep right there on the floor before baby).

At last in my own bed, the night was fitful when an occasional whimper woke me from a shallow sleep. Morning came too quickly but with the first sounds of her cry, I opened her bedroom door and was greeted with a sweet smile and outreached arms. With her arms looped around my neck, I carried her to the rocker where she laid her head on my chest and we quietly rocked as she took her time waking up. The scent of a wet diaper reminded me of the next order of business but only after savoring this precious quiet moment.

And so it went for two days and nights, learning little tricks to keep our darlings happy and entertained. The girls joined me on morning walks, provided an audience while I used the bathroom, and shared the mirror while we brushed our teeth, washed our faces, and patted lotion onto our skin. The giggles, tired tears, happy smiles, and snuggles were treasures.

As our weekend with the girls came to an end, we gathered their things and took them home. Back at our home we picked up the toys, wiped the sticky juice from the floor, and yes, collapsed into our easy chairs. But in the quiet, I could still hear their chatter and the pitter patter of their feet on the floor. No, I hadn’t lost my mind. It’s just that my maternal ear had been recalibrated to their sounds which still lingered as a sweet memory.

It made me think of my journey with the Lord and how I want His words to linger long after I’ve spent my quiet time with Him. How I want to live out Sunday church beyond the hour. And how desperately I want my life to honor him as noted in James 1:22 – 25: “Do not merely listen to the word. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it, not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it, they will be blessed in what they do.”

May the sweet fragrance of our Lord, who gave his life for us, linger in our lives beyond the daily moments and into eternity.