“Mimi, let’s play!” are the sweet words I hear repeatedly when my grandson Henry is over. When was the last time you played with a child? Most of us don’t really remember playing with others when we were younger than five years old. It is known that humans don’t remember the first three years of their lives because that part of the brain has not yet developed.
As adults we forget the beautiful thing it is to simply play. When we play, our brains get refreshed and renewed. We learn and explore other areas of our brain. We get outside our daily routine of work and worries. I’m not a scientist but I do know what it does to me when I play. Playing with my grandson invigorates me, refreshes my mind, and relaxes me. I truly “sleep like a baby,” as we say. When my grandson goes home for the day, I don’t know who’s more tired—him or me! But the next day I am super productive, my mind feels rejuvenated, and I’m in a positive mood.
The other activity we do a lot is laugh! We laugh uncontrollably on the floor for the silliest things. Henry thinks I’m hilarious and I think he’s just as funny, so we celebrate our funny faces and our silliness. As my husband says, we wind each other up! Every time we laugh, we are creating lasting memories of love in our hearts. Even if children don’t remember exactly what we did, they will remember the feeling of happiness they felt when we’re together.
The other day my husband and I were out for a walk with Henry, and we realized he won’t remember these walks… but we will! Then we also realized that because of technology, we can physically record these precious moments. When we later share those special moments with our grandchildren, they will cement these memories in their minds and in their hearts. What a blessing!
When was the last time you played and laughed so hard you got tears of joy? If you can’t remember, I encourage you to visit friends with little children and get to know them. If you are a parent of young children, play, play, and play some more. These years are precious and truly fly by. If you are a grandparent, I encourage you to get to know your grandchildren. Spend one-on-one time with each one as well as time playing together. You may feel physically exhausted from playing at the end of the day. But your mind will be renewed and refreshed like never before.
There is enough pain in the world and around us. Enjoy the precious moments God sends your way each time you have the opportunity to play and laugh!
I will leave you with an encouraging Scripture today:
Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT) But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!