“Holda My Brand New Hand”

I love the way toddlers say things when they are learning how to form a sentence. It isn’t exactly right but it is so cute you don’t ever want them to correct it. My nephew, Dillon, used to say “Holda my brand new hand.” We still say it to this day. Who knows what was going on in that little head to say it that way? I loved to hear “toddlerisms” — they are usually funny. I guess I call Jude “Sugarbear” more than I realized because yesterday, after we had all said our goodbyes, she waved as I was walking away and said “Bye Sugarbear.”

I rented a car and drove home from DC instead of flying. I enjoy the open road alone with my music on, singing full blast, waving one hand in the air. I speak into my voice memos the ideas that come to me for blogs while driving. My subjects are all over the board but I say them into the memo anyway. One idea always leads to another — maybe better ideas. I love the process of story writing. It’s a natural flow of expression I’m pushing out to lay claim to an idea or thought. I’m always inspired when I’m alone and looking at scenes I don’t normally see. I feel the bigness of our world and the smallness of myself. I am enthralled by the thought that our big God is with me on this road trip. So we ride along for hours — listening and not speaking but being inspired.

I got to spend the week with my daughter and her family. The two grands … each just turned two and one. It was a big moment I was blessed to share. These two little Sugarbears have captured my heart in full and I’ll never recover from this glorious state. My daughter, Rachel, astounds me with her strength, wisdom, endurance and patience. I know she is exhausted, but I also know God is able to give strength to the weary, and He does. I watch Phil and Rachel parent, and I am sitting on a soft comfortable cloud seeing the truths we prayed for our children unfold even more brilliantly than I imagined. I talk to my son after a month at his new job and new location and see joy in his face. I’m in awe at the man of character, grace and honor he is. I see what he can’t see yet, and know God has good things waiting for him to receive. It is a peaceful feeling to look at your adult children and know they are thriving — all glory to our Lord Jesus. I love and have loved every second of our journey so far. I’m excited to turn the page to the next chapter. What will happen? What’s our opening line? We are moving on and we suddenly feel the shift of weight from the back of the book to the front, indicating we are reading/living it fast . We are well into our story. What’s next? I can’t wait to see, walking not by sight but by faith alone.

I’m holding His right hand and dwelling in the land of the living — He knows it all. “For I am the Lord who takes hold of your right hand and say, don’t fear, I will help you.”(Is41:13)  When the hand He’s been holding gets tired and sweaty and cramped, when I pull away from Him, I cry out and ask Jesus to please “holda my brand new hand.” You Lord, take the initiative and you take hold of my right hand, you tell me to not fear, you say you will help me.   So whatever that looks like for us today, we are letting Jesus take hold of our brand new hand. He knows where we are going and how to get us there safely. So He says to us, “Come on, Sugarbear, holda my brand new hand!”

Just Jesus,

Sheri Langley