Meet Georgie.
Choosing a childhood memory was actually really tough.....do I choose the time I was a flower girl? Or a picture of all my ribbons from Track and Field (I displayed those every year as my report card was never something to display.....except for my gym mark)? Should I tell everyone about our turtle, Snorkie? I could, but I don't have a picture of him.
That's when I settled on Georgie, and I think this was the perfect choice, because when I think about it, Georgie was a huge part of my childhood. As you can tell from the picture, Georgie is a mouse. Why in the world would a non-animal lover like me tolerate a mouse of all things on my shelf for all the world to see....even if it is wooden?! Let me tell you why Georgie is special.
My dad worked a lot when I was young. I mean, a lot. We didn't see him much, unless we wanted to get up at 4:30 in the morning and meet him in the office. He was a very busy man with what I thought was only business stuff. It wasn't until I became an adult that I realized he was not just busy with his business. He was doing a lot of kingdom work (servant work....helping those in need in our churches). He just did it quietly, mostly behind the scenes.
The one day we did see him was Sundays. Well, not really during the day, as he would sleep the whole time between services. But it was supper and after supper that became our family's special time.
This time was usually filled with quite the crazy antics as kids (I have pictures....but I am NOT about to share those, my family would disown me!! :o). Laughter was often the only sound you could hear, in between a snort here and there as we gasped for breath (we often blamed the amount of candies we ate during the services that attributed to our hyperness).
Once things calmed down and just before it was time to go to bed, we would gather in the family room and that is when dad would tell us a Georgie story. He would make up the story as he told it, telling us all different adventures that Georgie went on, adventures that included us kids as well. We LOVED this time with our dad, time that was treasured as his attention was on nothing else but us and Georgie. We heard stories about Georgie the mouse for many years. We were never too old, even if we said we were too old, yet only to be found hiding near the doorway in the next room so we could still listen.
Fast-track to adulthood and one Christmas, each of us grown children received a wooden mouse that dad had made for us, to symbolize Georgie and the time we spent at his side, listening to the latest Georgie happenings. And that wooden mouse has been sitting on a shelf in our family room, wherever we have lived, ever since.
Thank you, dad, for giving me not only the gift of the wooden mouse, but also the gift of such a wonderful childhood memory.
Day 8: Eyes
Michelle - Love the line about your dad and kingdom work. Your post reminded me of something I don't think of often ... when I was 16, my brother died in a car accident. My parents had already driven to Hamilton, but my sister and I were still up north. Your dad dropped by my brother's home, sized up the situation, and said "I guess someone needs to get the girls" ... and hopped in his car and drove 400 miles overnight to pick us up. Just like that. Just because it needed to be done. He kept us entertained for the whole 8 hour drive down to Hamilton ... kept us laughing, when all we really wanted to do was cry. A gift indeed.
ReplyDeleteYup, that sounds like him for sure!! I am glad he was a blessing in your life at a difficult time.
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