The Name is in the Hat

A hat has never been more appreciated than in these intensely hot, Miami days! Isaiah grew into and out of his hat while taking many walks in Minnesota; Jeremiah is now wearing the same hat, only this time, in Miami. No matter what you call it, a hat is still a hat, just as the sun is still the sun. The hat shielded Isaiah's tender skin from the sun, which now, is shielding Jeremiah's tender skin. The hat may not survive as long as it did down here because it is being used year-round, whereas, up in MN, it only got used a few months.

Recently, Isaiah has been using my name excessively...yes, excessively. It sounds odd to say, yet, I must say that it is true. Sometimes, in one minute, it seems that it comes out of his mouth ten times, back-to-back. "Mommy, mommy, mommy!" Or it might be written like this: "MommY." I remember the days when he was just beginning to speak, and I longed to hear him say my name. Now, I must remind myself, when he uses it so frequently, that it is a blessing! I want him to know that I will come to him whenever he calls on my name because I want him to learn that God is the same way. Whenever God is called upon, He comes near. And just as that hat is a shield to the boys, so God is a shield all around them, to protect them from the enemies that lurk around every corner.

"I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer. Show the wonder of your great love, you who save by your right hand those who take refuge in you from their foes. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me." (Psalm 17: 6-9)