One night last week, I was tucking Gracie into bed. Tucking her in usually consists of saying prayers and singing her one song (if you're Momma, 3 or 4 if you're Daddy - softie!). Lately though, Gracie has really been into listening to true stories from my past. Anything from childhood memories to bringing Tysie home for the first time. She will ask for stories all throughout the day, but sometimes she's chosen to listen to a story instead of singing a song after we pray. On this particular night, she said she had a question. She asked, "So if the kidnappers get me, how will they do it? Where will they take me? I mean, do they live in a cave or something? I know they don't live in a house because their parents probably kicked them out because they weren't being good." So as you can imagine, this conversation was long and at times, difficult to navigate. I shared that I didn't think she would ever be kidnapped because I know a whole bunch of people and none of them have ever been kidnapped. Additionally, we talked about how safe our house is and what to do if you're ever in a dangerous situation. She knew to call 911 or even our home phone number, but the little smartie asked, "How will I tell them where I am if the bad guy has me in his cave?" So then we talked about bad guys and caves and all that business. She told me that bad guys must be listening to The Devil because God would never let them do that. She also shared that if she's ever kidnapped, she will tell the bad guy, "God is love and this is not love. You need to ask for forgiveness and follow God." In the end, we decided to rely on God to protect us and make smart decisions along the way, trusting that she won't get kidnapped because it's not very common.
Because she's such an analytical person, Gracie can sometimes be a worrier. She's gotten a whole lot better about it as she's gotten older, thank goodness! One way that I've tried to help her through these struggles is by memorizing Bible verses and hiding them in our heart for those times when we're really upset about something. She likes memorizing Bible verses because it makes her feel grown up to be able to recite them without help. The verse that we were working on for the last 2 weeks or so is Exodus 14:14 which says, "The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still." When Gracie recites it alone, she sweet says, "Exodus 14 verse 14. Not only to be still, the Lord will fight for you." When we talk about what that means, she knows that God will take care of you, so don't worry or panic, just trust Him. A pretty good interpretation, if you ask me!
We've also memorized Ephesians 4:32, which says, "Be kind and compassionate to one another." Several times she's asked me to explain what compassionate means. She'll always say, "Can you give me an example?" Then I'll tell a story where someone was or was not compassionate and follow it up with, "Does that make sense?" She'll reply, "Yes, but could you give me another example?" So really, I think it's a game to get me to tell her more stories! On Wednesday though, she and Kianna were playing and Kiki wouldn't give her what she wanted, so Gracie said, "Do you know what compassionate means, Kianna?" I listened in to the rest of the conversation and little Gracie did a pretty darn good job of interpreting compassion, and even trying to get Kiki to believe that doing it Gracie's way was the most compassionate thing to do! Close, but not quite. Funny girl!
Anyway you slice it, Gracie is fun to talk to and listen to! I'm dreading sending her to school 5 days a week next year because I will have much less time to talk to her. I am already planning ways to make sure I get my Gracie-time in once Kindergarten begins. I know things are so rushed in the evenings, but I really want to keep time with her as a priority.
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