My husband and I just spent a wonderful week in Florida with our son, daughter-in-law and our seven-year-old grandson, Jack. We spent idyllic days at the beach, went fishing, ate at a variety of delicious and fun restaurants, worked on our cottage a bit, and just enjoyed being together.
Paul and I spent fun afternoons playing in the pool with Jack, watching shows about sharks and wildlife (his favorite) and trying to beat our young champ at checkers. A good time was had by all, but then came my least-favorite time—when we had to say goodbye.
We planned to leave really early the next morning, so when we hugged Jack before bedtime, I knew it was also goodbye. His little arms squeezed around my neck clamping tightly, and when he pulled back, he had tears in those beautiful blue eyes as he said, “Grandmama, I don’t want you to go.”
I knew exactly how he felt. It’s tough living 10 hours apart. I swallowed around the giant boulder in my throat and tried to keep the tears in my own eyes from overflowing. I’m not exactly sure what I said to him, but it seemed to suffice.
And then he leaned in close to my ear and said, “Could you leave me a note like you did last time?” It took me a second to realize what he was talking about, but then I remembered that when we’d left from our last visit, I’d written him a note and tucked it on his desk where he’d find it when he started homeschool the next morning.
So after he went to bed that night, I wrote several notes to that little boy I love so much and hid them in places where I knew he’d find them: in the refrigerator next to the last piece of his beloved key lime pie, in the pantry by his favorite cereal box, by the TV where he watches the shark shows, in his school books and on the beach towel he’d grab when he went out to the pool.
Friends, I’m so grateful that Jack isn’t the only one who received love notes. God gathered all of His into one book—the Bible—and His messages of love are available whenever we need them. But He didn’t stop there. He added directions for our lives, comfort for days when we’re hurting, wisdom for whatever we need, and sweet reminders that we’re a beloved part of His family.
I hope my sweet Jack felt loved when he found his notes, just like I always feel loved whenever I read all those precious messages that God tucked in the Bible just for us.
