I was awake but still in bed when I heard the door open and
saw black curls that framed big brown eyes peek inside. Molly smiled when she saw my were eyes
open. “Come on in,” I said quietly as
she tiptoed over, clutching her stuffed orange Kitty. I held the covers up so she could get in bed
and she stretched out beside me. I kissed
her cheek and we lay there in the quiet for several minutes, neither of us
saying anything. Then “Love you,” she said softly. “I love you too Molly,” I whispered, my heart
melting at the thought that she initiated the familiar exchange. Thank you Father that this precious little
girl loves me, I can’t make that happen.
She said a few words in Molly-speak, a language
unintelligible to the rest of us.
Thankfully she wasn’t fully in “go” mode yet and we could snuggle. I pulled her close and she nestled against
me, warming my Grandma bones. “I’m going
to sleep just like you, I’ll copy you, because you don’t get mad at me if I
copy you,” she said seriously. “No, I
don’t get mad if you copy me,” I agreed.
She turned a little toward me and I felt a small hand on one side of my
face. Her other hand touched my other
cheek, patting it gently as she looked at me thoughtfully. A beautiful quiet moment when all was right
with the world. We smooched once
more. I prayed aloud, “Thank you God for
this day, for our time together, for making Molly just the way You want
her.” I reminded my soon-to-be-four
granddaughter of the importance of praying to God often, and that it was simply
talking to Him and listening.
Then she sat up in bed and told me it was time to play a
game, “just Grandma and me.” She climbed
out and walked over to the shelf of games, puzzles and crafts. I said no to the pottery wheel, and she said
no to a puzzle. We compromised on a game
of chess or checkers;, the box had one board and the pieces for either. We sat up in the bed and smoothed out a
place on the blanket, keeping our legs under to stay cozy. Molly wanted the black pieces and gave me the
‘silver’, her description of their natural wood color. I soon realized this was to be no ordinary
game of checkers or chess, watching her put all of the pieces out on her
board. I started placing all my silver
pieces on the board too and waited for instructions.
Checkerchess has several advantages. You can place your pieces anywhere on the
board you want as long as you start on the back row of your side, just like in
chess. You have to set out all the
pieces, no piece left behind. The pawn is just as important as the king or
queen, a single checker the same value as a double, and the knight has special
status. “I’ll go first,” she said
firmly. “I won’t lose because I’ve got
the moves.” She pushed a checker one
square up and the game was on.
Not only did she have the moves but she sometimes got to
move 3 times in a row, and if I captured one of hers that she didn’t want me to
she just grabbed it back and placed it on the board. I quickly discovered these rules did not apply
to me. I moved forward aggressively with
my rook or bishop, capturing checkers, pawns and eventually her knight. She reprimanded me, reached for the black
knight, and said I could not take her horse.
When it was over the remaining black pieces stood on the board in
victory, my defeated silver ones lying exhausted in the box. I gave Molly a high-five and said “good
game”. “Let’s play again!” she said.
Fortunately at that moment Emily entered the room. We cleared the box away and made room on the
bed. Soft pats on the cheek and quiet
snuggle time had given way to tickles and giggles, and that was just fine with
me.
