Being a grandparent can be restful.  Maybe playing with little ones helps distract from other stresses.  Also caring for them for a limited time is a lot easier than full time.  Here Grampy and grandson are walking in the rain.  I took the picture so I, too, was walking in the rain with baby granddaughter in a stroller.  We watched these grandkids a couple of days each week while their parents worked or went to school.  We stopped because of covid-19.  Recently we have resumed some visits.  The routine of nap, snack, play, and clean-up are helpful and restful to me.  Also after being with them for a while, I am ready to rest.  Good rest.

    We hope for rest beyond the grave.  This painting is of the grave of my father's cousin L. May Jaques in Randolph, Massachusetts.  She died as a baby--probably of SIDS--in 1916.  Eventually May's father and mother and her two older sisters went back to their native Switzerland, after having lived in Boston for a number of years. Their ongoing grief upended their lives and plans.  
​      The number of deaths Covid-19 has caused is difficult to grasp.  Losing a loved one during these times is also  especially difficult with distance and protocols in place.  Each family's grief is real and unique.  Taking time to grieve may seem difficult, but is necessary.  Grief can come in various times and ways.  I hope we can find comfort and rest as we grieve.  May God help us experience rest in the present and not only wait for after the grave.