Amazing Grace

I have been nannying through an agency for the past month, and I was set up with a family that was down in Florida for a week-long vacation. I worked for/with them almost every day of their trip. There were three girls; 6, 5, and 17 months. I basically enjoyed their vacation with them.. spending time by the pool of their 5 star hotel, going out to eat, ordering room service, sitting with the kids after they went to sleep.. like I said, this job really can't be topped! :)  


But one thing that stuck out to me during my time with this family was the one night I was putting the girls to bed, and the middle one (of course! haha) couldn't fall asleep and asked me to sing her a song. After singing 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' about three times, I got sick of it (although she didn't) and decided to change it up. I asked her if she knew the song 'Amazing Grace.' When she told me no, I started singing it to her. I know I messed up the middle verses, but I think I played it off okay because she didn't seem to notice. She also didn't seem to be falling asleep. That little brain of hers was still moving a hundred miles an hour! That's when she asked me what 'grace' is..? Hmm... how do you explain grace to a 5 year old? Unable to tell her it is obviously God's unmerited favor, knowing that she would have no idea what I was talking about, I told her something like this.. 'You know when you do something bad and your parents find out and they might get a little mad at first, but they still love you anyway?" She said "Yeah!" "Well it's kind of like that. It's like free love, even if we don't deserve it.." I could see her wheels keep spinning.. that made me smile. :)  


When I think back to when I used to nanny for the family I was with for so many years in Colorado, some of the conversations with the girls that I remember the most were those when they were going to bed. You know, that time when there aren't any other distractions and there isn't anything else to steal their attention or focus.. just the raw thoughts. Although I admit that many times when question after question after question would be asked when the kids were supposed to be falling asleep, I would get a little annoyed.. but how cool is it to be able to be the witness to those thoughts and feelings.. the raw ones.. Sometimes I was there to offer answers, but sometimes, just to listen and appreciate their growth and curiosity. How many kids are out there who don't have anyone to listen to those precious thoughts..?