Grumpy the Gator

In Grumpy the Gator, a group of children playing encounter a grumpy alligator. The story teaches children to always keep a safe distance from animals in the wild, and to find an adult if they see an alligator.

Grumpy the Gator

Its Always A Story With The Hendersons

The Missing Pieces

A small pair of binoculars sits in my desk drawer.The dark green color on the binoculars has faded over the years to a greenish brown tone. I take them out of the drawer from time to time and look for wildlife. Eagles, hawks, egrets, herons and of course, hummingbirds. A thick black strap is attached to each side, making ease of wearing them around my neck.

The strap shows signs of age as frayed pieces of fabric escape to the floor when I touch the binoculars. Tiny strands that were once strong now are soft and fall apart easily. As the torn pieces escape in the air, they remind me of dust floating aimlessly.
I wonder if now is the time to replace the binoculars with a new pair.

Deciding to hold on to them for a while longer, I attempt once more to place the worn holder around my neck. OOPS! The string releases from the side. I quickly grasp the binoculars preventing a crash on the hardwood floor.
The once strong holder is now at the weakest point and cannot bear the load any longer.

Perhaps there can be a repair. Surely, that would cost less than a brand new pair of binoculars. I begin to closely study the place where the tear happened. Pieces are missing. Little pieces that will need a magnifying glass to find. On hands and knees, I search the floor. A flashlight, a magnifying glass, and determination to find the three tiny missing links.

Frustration sets in. Nothing is found. Well…only a piece of cracker that somehow made it’s way to the floor. Wait, when did I eat a cracker? Moving on.

Alan searches for the missing pieces, too. Nothing else is found. We give up.

No repair. We’ll have to buy a new pair online.

Time comes to vacuum. If those pieces are on the floor, the vacuum will find them. No. Nothing is recovered. The missing links have completely disappeared.

We say we’ll never know what happened and why we can’t find three little items on the floor.

Life goes on. We walk on the floor every day.

Then…it happened. Grandson Rowan visits. He walks across the carpet and says, “Mimi, what’s on my foot?”

Yes, there on the bottom of his foot are the missing pieces. How did this happen? We are thankful there were no sharp pieces and no injury. They stuck to his foot like stickers.

Three little pieces to a binocular strap and they were found by a three year old boy.

We laugh. We thank Rowan. Alan finds his special tools for small things and begins a repair process. All is well.

I look for God’s message in this situation. I remember God wants us to go to Him for all things. Big pieces and little pieces of our lives. Did I remember to pray and ask for help in finding the missing pieces? No. I tried to solve the problem on my own and it didn’t work. God allowed Rowan to find the lost items. An innocent child to remind me of what is important in life.

Don’t worry. Take our “missing pieces” and worries to God. He will guide us through every moment. Something like a small pair of binoculars and their torn strap can bring a lesson of faith and patience and joy.

Thank You God, for bringing joy to life.

Do you have any “missing pieces” in your life? Have you taken your worries to Him?

Have a blessed day,
Mimi aka Melissa

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32 Comments
  • Gail Johnson
    Posted at 14:22h, 08 February Reply

    Love this, Melissa. I enjoy finding God’s truth in every day life.

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 14:30h, 08 February Reply

      Thank you Gail. Yes, we can find God’s truth in every day life. πŸ™‚ Have a blessed week!

  • michellekaderlywelsh
    Posted at 15:37h, 08 February Reply

    Beautiful blog, Melissa!

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 16:00h, 08 February Reply

      Thank you Michelle! Have a blessed week! πŸ™‚

  • Jill Weatherholt
    Posted at 15:47h, 08 February Reply

    What a great lesson you’ve taught Rowan, Melissa. Think of all of the time and worry we can save by taking things to God first. Sometimes we can be hard-headed. πŸ™‚

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 16:01h, 08 February Reply

      Thank you Jill. Rowan teaches us lots of lessons about life. haha! Go to God first. Yes! Have a blessed week! πŸ™‚

  • Betty Thomason Owens
    Posted at 16:42h, 08 February Reply

    I love this. It’s such a simple message yet it’s profound. ❀️

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 19:26h, 08 February Reply

      Thank you Betty. Have a blessed week! πŸ™‚

  • Jessica Brodie
    Posted at 17:47h, 08 February Reply

    So good, Melissa! It’s so funny how we learn so much (and discover new things, like missing parts or a new perspective!) thanks to little ones.

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 18:27h, 08 February Reply

      Thank you Jessica. Yes, we sure do learn a lot from the little ones. πŸ™‚ Have a blessed week!

  • Janice D. Green
    Posted at 21:20h, 08 February Reply

    Great reminder to take our troubles to Jesus, no matter how great or small.

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 21:33h, 08 February Reply

      Yes, Janice. I am thankful we can take all our troubles to Him. Have a blessed week! πŸ™‚

  • Janet from FL
    Posted at 21:52h, 08 February Reply

    I have to keep reminding myself to say a quick prayer when I am having a problem around the house like looking for something. Once my husband was stranded when he couldn’t start his motorcycle after stopping at the hardware store. I drove over so he could jump the battery. He still couldn’t start it. So I finally thought to pray for Jesus to help him start it, and vroom it started right up! Jesus cares, and He listens, if we will only ask Him.

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 22:25h, 08 February Reply

      Thank you for sharing your story. God does work in amazing ways. πŸ™‚ Glad the motorcycle started. God was listening and hearing your prayers. Have a blessed week! πŸ™‚

  • June Foster
    Posted at 22:04h, 08 February Reply

    Melissa, what a sweet story. I bet your grandson felt like a big boy when you told him he found something you’d looked for a long time. It’s funny, but I always seem to drop my tiny earring or the backing and can’t find it. Often I ask God where it is then I spot it. I can’t believe He cares about earrings. I tweeted and shared on FB.

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 22:26h, 08 February Reply

      Thank you June. Yes, even something like earrings reminds us to go to God first. He loves us so much and cares about every moment. Have a blessed week! πŸ™‚

  • Ava Pennington
    Posted at 13:28h, 09 February Reply

    Such a great reminder: “Take our ‘missing pieces’ and worries to God.”

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 13:30h, 09 February Reply

      Thank you Ava. Have a blessed week! πŸ™‚

  • dscales24
    Posted at 15:35h, 09 February Reply

    Mimi, once I had grandchildren I began to panic over every dropped needle or baby aspirin. I knew a grandchild would spot it within minutes of coming into the house, after I had searched on my knees with a flashlight to no avail. I’ve often asked God to help me find some lost item. I used to feel guilty asking for His help in finding a missing earring or electric bill, but now I know if it is important to me, it is important to Him!

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 21:00h, 09 February Reply

      Yes, Yes! If it’s important to us, it’s important to Him. I agree. Have a blessed week! πŸ™‚

  • Lynn J Simpson
    Posted at 20:17h, 09 February Reply

    I love your stories, Melissa! I do try to fix things on my own, and know praying is a missing piece from my life.

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 21:01h, 09 February Reply

      Thank you Lynn. I’m working on going to God first. Sometimes I fail. But, He forgives me. πŸ™‚ Have a blessed week!

  • colarnold
    Posted at 00:56h, 11 February Reply

    Another great story, Melissa. Isn’t it funny how God can use anything to show us His lessons?!

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 02:34h, 11 February Reply

      Thank you so much. I love how God can use anything to show us lessons. Have a blessed week! πŸ™‚

  • Karen
    Posted at 07:47h, 11 February Reply

    Can’t we all identify in some way with your story, Mimi? We’re all patiently waiting to find some missing pieces in our lives. Isn’t it wonderful that God can mend our lives back together! Lovely story, dear friend. Blessings! xoxo

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 13:36h, 11 February Reply

      Thank you Karen. Yes, I love how God can mend our lives back together. I love how He uses the little things in life to teach us. Have a blessed day! πŸ™‚

  • vmorgan456
    Posted at 12:34h, 14 February Reply

    Love this story and the moral behind it. Even for the little things there is always God. Beautiful.

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 13:38h, 14 February Reply

      Thank you. Yes, God is in the little things, too. Have a blessed day! πŸ™‚

  • Jeanne Takenaka
    Posted at 16:32h, 20 February Reply

    Melissa, I LOVE how you look for God’s lessons for you in each situation you face. Thanks for the reminder that we can bring even the small things to God.

    • mimionlife
      Posted at 17:51h, 20 February Reply

      Thank you Jeanne. You made me smile. πŸ™‚ Have a blessed weekend!

  • Nancy E. Head
    Posted at 14:07h, 27 October Reply

    We learn so much from children–and such situations. Nice post, Melissa!

    • Melissa G. Henderson
      Posted at 16:19h, 27 October Reply

      Thank you Nancy. Yes, we learn great things from children. Have a blessed day! πŸ™‚

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