Introduction

 

I woke up early this morning. I knew it’s was going to be a very busy day. The kids usually came over to visit me on a Saturday afternoon, but I asked if I could share this story on Sunday morning because it was the last day of the year. The story would lose a little bit of it’s significance if it wasn’t told on the last day of the year, so the people in the children’s ministry allowed me to share the story during their time.

 

As I was eating my breakfast, I recalled the first story that I shared with my little kids. They were very excited to hear the story, and one of the little boys called me Grandpa. I wasn’t his grandpa, but he really liked me a lot, so that’s why he gave me that name. I decided I liked the sound of it, so I didn’t correct him. The other kids started calling me Grandpa, too.

 

I knew there would be a few kids in the children’s ministry this morning that never heard any of my stories, so I was a little bit anxious. I don’t know why I was, because all the kids loved my stories. Well, maybe they just liked the way I told the stories. I hope they actually receive something helpful from them.  One of the boys asked me if I told the stories like I was a part of the story because I actually was part of the story. I told him that some of the stories are pretty close to my heart.

 

As I arrived in the Children’s Ministry room, several of my kids greeted me. Just before I read my story, I started to explain to them why it was important for me to read the story on the last day of the year.

 

Larry, who always has something to say, interrupted me and said, “Get on with it, Grandpa, we wanna hear the story!”

 

I said, “Okay, here goes”.