Dolores adores her grandchildren
and is often heard saying to them,
“Sure don’t you know I love you
in my heart and soul?”
Dolores is in her element
when her grandchildren
are at her house.

Early this morning
I dropped Aoife off
at her Granny’s house.

After a while,
a barefooted, sleepy Dolores,
dressed in her pink dressing gown,
padded into the kitchen
where she spotted Aoife,
resplendent in peacock blue pyjamas,
standing, drinking tea.

Dolores’s face lit up
in a massive smile of welcome
and she happily sat herself down
at the kitchen table,
for a wee chat
with Aoife,
one of her favourite people
in the whole world.

The sheer and utter delight
that I saw on Dolores’s face
when she greeted Aoife this morning
reminded me of way
that Our God rejoices
in every single one of us
and considers each one of us
to be a cause for celebration,
someone truly remarkable, unique
and precious.

It reminded me
that in much the same way
that Dolores adores
each of her grandchildren,
Our God is saying to each one of us,
every day,
“Don’t you know that I love you
in my heart and soul?”

(c) Claire Murray