You Are My Hiding Place

One of my all time favorite games is hide and seek.  I remember growing up playing it with all my cousins after dark on the golf course behind my grandparents little house on Sunset Ln in Mount Morris, IL.  It was so dark you really could just lie on the ground and the seeker would sometimes pass right by you. Whenever that would happen I would get the giggles and usually give myself away.  I have so many fond memories of those times of play...catching fireflies, baseball, the park at the end of the street with the twirly slide, the park that seemed so far away at the time that had the rocket ship, sparklers, silly skits we made up and made all our parents watch over and over, our heated Scrabble game arguments..."that's not a word!" :), silly tricks we played on people, chin heads, all grandpa's marvelous toys, spoons on our noses, our lemonade stands to raise money for an air conditioner :), the 4th of July parade, popcorn, homemade pop and the great fireworks display...where we would guess the next firework color and oooo and aaahhh loudly, the carnival that came to town, and lots of singing...(I still can't believe a carnival came to such a small town, but I think those times were just about perfect...so, I am not going to worry too much about how all the stars aligned to make it so magical to me.)  Anyway, about this time the last couple of years, I start to remember these things in better detail and I miss them.

Grandpa had passed away while I was in college, but grandma passed away several years ago and it was about this time that we were all travelling through blizzard-like conditions to meet up in Mount Morris again to celebrate her life.  As her health had declined, she struggled with dementia.  It was difficult to see her lose her memory and not be able to comprehend what was happening to her.  She said some really funny things too...like once, I had just gotten a perm and mom and I went to visit her...the doors opened and when grandma saw us she said, "Oh, there's Sue with the big head."  I, of course, thought grandma was referencing my new hairstyle and mom thought she was having a memory from her childbirth...ha!  I hope in Heaven I get a chance to laugh with grandma about that one.  I remember when it started for her she would say she was having "dark thoughts", but she couldn't really describe them to us.  It was like a part of her was hidden away and she couldn't even find it.

One of the best surprises for me at her funeral and memorial service was that she had taken it upon herself to write out the book of Psalms while she was in the care facility.  I know she wasn't "all there" mentally during that time, but to know that she did that spoke volumes to me about her understanding of where her help would be found. I think about that often and it gives me a certain peace because I know she found the best hiding place.