an email from grace (my four year old niece)

As dictated to "Grandma" (my Mom) who is keeping Grace while my sister takes Lily to the doctor this morning:

"Dear Uncle Eric, I love you. Thank you for comin to our house. I wish you could come to my house and bring me a praying kitty cat... a wishing kitty. you know... with her hands folded like that. Come to my house soon sometime.

We made muffins. I maked them out of a spoon, we baked 'em in the oven. Grandma broked the thing.. she heated the pan thing up. It splattered ever'where... and she broke the drawer thing. Grandma's having a hard day. Sorry.

I want to pray you can gimme me a lot of things like a dog praying like this with his hands folded up.

I love you dear Uncle Eric. Thank you for bringin' me a wishin' candy dog. Love you. Thank you.
I love you dear uncle eric. love you. thank you. Praise the Lord, Uncle Eric!"

Oh my GOSH, I love this little one--and I love that she ends up with "PRAISE THE LORD!" How true, Grace. How often we skate through life not stopping to just say thanks and "praise you" for all you've done. Leave it to a four year old to boil life down to the essentials: muffins, praying dogs (and cats), loving family, and Praising the one who gave it all to us.

that's all.