Miracles Abound

Has the day of miracles ceased? While many people think of events such as the parting of the Red Sea and manna falling from heaven as miracles, I can clearly state that miracles occur every single day. Most of the time, however, we simply take them for granted. The electronic advances we enjoy are awesome and to me, miraculous. So are the physical, cognitive, and social advances my grandchildren are making.

Skype, one of those modern electronic miracles, brings my children and grandchildren into my home. They’re scattered, and I mourn the loss of moments that I’m missing in their young lives. Skype allows me to see the changes that take place from week to week. Their parents see these precious little ones every day, and although they’re quite observant, I wonder if they note the small, barely discernable changes that take place from day to day.

Beginning with Olivia in Atlanta, here are some miracles that I saw Sunday evening:

• Three and a half months old, Olivia stared at the computer screen as if actually watching and listening to her grandmother. When her father got up to turn on a lamp, she followed his movements, and when he left for a meeting, she watched as he got up and walked to the door. Growing stronger every day, she sat upright in her mother’s arms, and within a couple of months, she’ll be sitting without support. Since the picture above was snapped, she’s opened those big blue eyes and become a more active participant in life around her.
• A little later, my computer screen showed an image of the Maseda crew in Rincon, GA.  Braden usually has an exciting story or two to tell me, but Sunday evening, he sat quiety in the background reading Endangered Animals, a book I gave him a few months ago. Since he’s only in second grade, I’m sure he didn’t know all of the words, but he was able to recognize many of them. Another “miracle” is that he could sit so quietly and entertain himself.
• A kindergartner, Brooke showed me how she can now put her hair in ponytails by herself, and this is a big help to her mother.
• 3-year-old Emma sang “Nephi’s Courage” and pronounced the word “courageous” as if she were saying “candy” or some other easy word. I was spellbound. This is a child who normally makes funny faces instead of talking to me, and yet last night she sang every word of a hymn she had memorized.
• Colton, almost 19 months old, waved to me a lot and kept coming back to the computer to hug Emma and his mother. The dark brown hair he had at birth has been completely replaced with a headful of blond hair.

This isn’t the most thought provoking post I’ve ever written, and yet I thinking that maybe I’m not the only one who needs reminding that miracles abound. You just have to open your eyes and ears  and maybe even your heart.

Author: jayne bowers

*married with children, stepchildren, grandchildren, in-laws, ex-laws, and a host of other family members and fabulous friends *semi-retired psychology instructor at two community colleges *writer View all posts by jayne bowers