Trips, Trucks, and Too Much Excitement

We took Oliver to Kansas to see Nana and Papaw for Mother's Day. It was wonderful!! The best gift for me. The best trip for Oliver. He was showered with attention and sugared with kisses. I couldn't have imagined a more enjoyable time! We, of course, loved visiting with my parents and showing Oliver off to everyone at church. (Word had spread that we were coming. Really, that Oliver was coming!) But what really stuck out to me was just how over-the-top excited my parents were for their grandson to be there. They bought him a new wardrobe. Hats and clothes and shoes and more! (We can hardly wait to see him in the little swim trunks! So cute!!) They bought him a great little mobile for his car seat. (It actually kept him entertained often during the 13 hour trip home.) The day after we got there, they went out and got him an activity center - the kind he can stand up in, spin around in, and play with all the toys - because he's such a mover and a shaker. (So spoiled!) But the biggest display of grandparent craziness was Oliver's room. That's right. . . Oliver has his own bedroom at Nana and Papaw's house. Complete with a crib bought just for him. Adorable construction truck bedding. Diapers. Wipes. Trucks galore. Decorations and more! They went nuts. We melted with gratefulness. It was quite a surprise. There were even blocks with his named spelled out sitting on one of the bookshelves. It was too much! Too sweet! Too cool! And too overwhelming! Talk about making us feel special. Oliver is a blessed little boy to have grandparents like that. Of course, I grew up with them as parents so I kind of already knew what he'd have to look forward to!! Our trip was great. The visit flew by. It was one of those times in life when you wish time could just stand still. Unfortunately it didn't. We had to head home. Good news is that we get to see them again in a few weeks at our family reunion! I think we've got enough memories and pictures to keep us going until then!!

On the way home, I started thinking about my parents and their excitement over Oliver's visit. I wondered how many of us live with such excitement about our God. Does He consume our thoughts and dictate our actions? Do we smile every time we think about Him? Do we long to spend time with Him, eager to be in His presence? Do we tell everyone we know about Him? Do we clean out areas in our lives to make room for Him to dwell there? In fact, does He have His very own place in our hearts, or does He have to share space with other "gods" in our life? Is He the center of our attention? Is His name written on us, displayed proudly, like the blocks in Oliver's room? Hmmm... makes me think. How about you?