House with Laughter

Kay's posting about us having friends and their children over on Friday to make strawberry preserves reminds me of the joy each child brings to my heart. When I was growing up, our house was always filled with the neighborhood children. Sometimes mother would watch other children to help with the family income, in addition to the six in our family; other times, we just had a house full of the neighborhood kids. We were one of the first families to have a television set and lots of afternoons all you could see were children's head in the living room. It wasn't anything for her to serve kool-aide and cookies to the crowd.
During the holidays, my ex and I always had our children around us in the kitchen making christmas cookies and deserts, so I remember the laughter, sometimes the pouting when they had had enough. So, yesterday was a good day for children playing hide-n-seek, and going in and out; chasing our two dogs, (they slept most of the afternoon after everyone left) and all the wonderful noise five children can make when they are put together in a house full of love.
Kay and I are very blessed to be able to babysit and just enjoy the children that bless our little church congregation. I am so thankful to have so many children of good friends in our lives. I am so blessed that parents see me as a loving Aunte, knowing my history. Being so close to so many children has helped me overcome the heartache of not being included in my own two grandchildren's lives, who I haven't been able to hold or give them my love for four years. We send birthday cards and have sent books for Christmas; but Kay and I do not know if they have been given anything we have sent; we get no acknowledgment that the gifts have arrived.
My daily prayer offering is that they will one day meet their other "grandmother" with the same joyful smiles and happiness that I saw yesterday in the children's faces that filled our house with laughter.