First, we sang “Stand Up! Stand Up for Jesus!”; this was followed by “Holy, holy, holy.”

Two quite old-fashioned hymns, sung when I was a small child in the fifties. Do churches even sing these anymore? Certainly not often. Do I go to such a dated worship service?

No. I wasn’t at church.

I was sitting at my computer, and the words were on the screen.

I had not even chosen the hymns.

Today is Tuesday, and Miss (recently turned) Three had just arrived. She started singing the first one, but needed help and asked me to find it on my computer (even a three-year-old knows that one can find whatever one needs, or almost, on a computer!).

She needed help with the words for the second and third verses. No, she can’t read, but we sang the first two hymns together, with her sitting on my knee. These old hymns were her first choices – because that’s what her dad sings to her at night before she goes to sleep. I was pleased. These were apparently my son’s favourites when he was a little boy – and he still knows them by heart. I’m not sure that I would have chosen these two hymns for two-year-olds (as she then was), but they have always been the first songs the girls chose to sing and even at two years old each one of them could always hold the tune.

This is how faith is encouraged from one generation to the next … and never underestimate the memory of a small child. It is never too soon to teach them hymns and Christian songs with meaningful words. Little ones are never too young to learn Scripture verses by heart. Miss Three is learning some verses in her church class, and she will never forget them – they will remain with her till her old age.

Next, she asked for “Jesus, strong and kind” which has wonderful words and which she sings with her church class. The lyrics are below, and the tune is easy. I want these words in my head for the rest of the day – and tomorrow, and the next day … even forever. I don’t care if it is classified as a children’s song. It’s meaningful and important to me. I think next week I will teach her “What a friend we have in Jesus!” It was my grandmother’s favourite hymn, and yes, the words are very special, and I would love that one to go through the generations as well.

Later she was telling me about “Showers of blessing on you” which I think was the old hymn “There shall be showers of blessing”, based on 2 Corinthians 9:8 -11. I probed. What are blessings? “Good things,” she responded. But who gives them? “Jesus does – Jesus, strong and kind!”

This was my start to the day, and I was blessed and humbled by the pleasure and joy we both felt sitting together.

Later a beautiful piano sonata by Schubert appeared on the screen (yes, I must have bumped a key!) and she was spell-bound. Perhaps the first time she had heard such an amazing and moving piece. I felt honoured to be the one to introduce her to this timeless beautiful music.

 ***

The day progressed happily. We made afternoon tea for her and her two older sisters, and a dessert for the family. When I needed to open a new packet of flour, I was finding it a little difficult. But she was there to encourage me.

“You can do it, Nanny. Just keep trying!” followed by “You’re getting it, Nanny!” and finally, “Nanny, you did it!” Do I hear myself teaching the value of perseverance?

Do I care that she dipped the spoon she had been using for her morning tea into the mixture to check it was “right”? No. Not at all. I did pass her a clean spoon – but I treasure the fact that Tuesday is our day for doing things together. Sometimes we don’t even open the toy cupboard all day.

We did colouring-in together, we read a story about animals and numbers, we played with Sunny. She swept the floor with her little broom when he came in with muddy footprints.

***

I assure her I will be waiting back at her place after I pick up the big girls from school. She has special time with Pa from 2:30 till 3:30 when her mother collects her. Of course, when they arrive back home, I can’t leave straight away – because she’s only just arrived. I will be taken into her bedroom to see her “big girl bed” (I see it every week!) and to help with drying and dressing her after her bath.

***

These next few months are to be valued and imprinted on my mind, and I hope on hers. Yes, there are times when my energy is in short supply, but she is the sixth grandchild and the seventh lives hours away. I won’t have this special time with him. For the first three, I was working, so these next three children have taught me to be a real Nanny. Next year will signal the passing of a very special and happy time of my life, and I am sad at the thought. However, perhaps the time will then be spent watching them at Saturday soccer or swimming lessons, or school concerts and dance performances.

I hope that as they grow up physically, emotionally and socially, there will be a parallel spiritual growth, for to know Him, Jesus, strong and kind, is to know life in its fulness, and eternal life.