An afternoon of babysitting with Levi and Brooke is pure joy for me. The boundless energy of a six year-old and a five-year old sometimes stretches my physical limitations. Yet, it can be an awesome time of communication between grandma and two of her grandchildren.

The sun was shining. Swings and a sandbox covered a large area of the freshly mowed yard. Bicycles, scooters, and a four-wheeler were parked on the patio. But, today swimming was their objective. A pool large enough for them to enjoy and small enough for grandma to be comfortable with, sat full of water ready to jump into. Rocket, their Sheltie puppy, ran circles around them and the pool.

"Look, grandma, I can swim all the way across," It was Brooke, eager for me to notice her accomplishments. Not be outdone, big brother Levi chimed in just as loudly, "And grandma, watch me pick up the diving sticks from the bottom of the pool."

I loved it! Forget the books, my journal and the papers and pens that I had brought with me. Today, I would relax and enjoy the company of these two precious kids.

Brooke liked holding her breath and swimming under water. Under she would go! In a few seconds back up she would come, always looking around to see if grandma was still watching.

After one of Brooke's extended times under water, I decided to check on her and be sure she was OK. Up she came, shaking the water from her face and almost gasping for air. "Grandma, I stayed under so long I needed to make a new breath," her little teeth chattered as she explained. Brooke knew she had stayed nearly too long down in the depths of that swimming pool. She also knew that 'making a new breath' would refresh her and soon she would be ready to go again.

I thought about how sometimes life's problems, trials and tests can be so overwhelming, we feel like we need to come up for air just to be able to breathe. The bottom of the pool would be an adequate way to explain how lost and lonely the way gets some days.

Yet, no matter how deep our struggles, or how far away we roam, it is never too late to return to the Lord.

God is always waiting with outstretched arms for you 'to make a new breath' and a new life in Him.