Image by Heinrich Hess from Pixabay
“Well, I think Papa would make a good king, or a president, but I'm glad he's not running for either one, because I don't think kings are very snuggly. I think maybe the Lord Jesus, because He loves little children, can work that out, but, He's also God, so, He doesn't have the problems other people have. I'm sure He can always pass a random lap test, but, I don't think kings and presidents have time for all that, and I think Papa being Papa is more important to him.”
Six-year-old Grayson Ludlow considered what his seven-year-old sister Amanda had just said to him, and then came with a needed insight.
“But Mandie, we have to do stuff like kings have to do stuff – we gotta build Legos and make clay and papier-mache sometimes, and eat, and get into our Sunday best, and we're still snuggly.”
“That's true, though,” Amanda said. “Is being snuggly a choice?”
“Let's ask Cousin Harry,” Grayson suggested, and off they went to find Col. H.F. Lee, resplendent in his Sunday best though going no further than to the lawn where he was setting up chairs to share the Good Neighbors Fellowship on the big screen with their neighbors.
Col. Lee was temporary guardian with his very snuggly wife Maggie to the Ludlow grandchildren – the snuggle meter mattered because he knew that the second and third youngest Ludlow grandchildren thought of him as more of the king type who didn't snuggle as much.
“So, we were trying to understand because we know you have to kneel for the king, but, I didn't see anything about snuggle with the king in any of the books and stuff,” Amanda said.
“I'm just trying to get the castle up for the king, so I didn't really have a good idea,” Grayson said.
“Are we putting alligators in the moat, though?” Col. Lee said.
“I don't have that on my blueprints, but we've got plenty of blue construction paper, and water is blue, so, I'll figure it out later,” Grayson said.
“Alligators don't seem very snuggly,” Amanda said.
“That's the thing about being a king, though,” Col. Lee said. “The king has to make sure the castle, and all the people that might need to come to it in an emergency, are going to be safe, and because he has so many hard things to work out, he does not have as much time for a nice, sleepy snuggle.”
“Oh,” Grayson and Amanda said.
“Is this also why Cousin Maggie and Grandma have more snuggle time?” Grayson said.
“Right,” Col. Lee said. “The men built and defended the castles, and the women and children got the extra snuggle time. That's how it worked in the days of kings and queens, and in some houses even now. Your Papa and I both descend from Sir Henry Lea, a bonafide knight and baronet at the time of Richard the Lionhearted, so, we tend to still do the noble knightly type of thing. Of course there are no alligators in England, but it is an American moat option.”
“Wait, so we have real knights in our family?” Amanda said.
“About a thousand years ago, yes,” Col. Lee said.
“No wonder I can get a castle together so quick,” Grayson said. “It runs in the family!”
“And Edwina is so fashionable!” Amanda said. “But … um … where would I fit in?”
“There would be no point to being a king or a noble or a knight if all the Ladies Amanda didn't feel safe and have time to make life beautiful and wonderful for everyone,” Col. Lee said.
“Oh – that's definitely where I fit in!” Amanda said. “I wonder if one of my ancestors invented the random lap test for snugglability?”
“Well, remember, Amanda,” Col. Lee said with a smile, “they didn't have the technology back then that they do now, so, you're probably the first of your family to think of that.”
“Right, technology – life was hard back then because people had to build castles and they didn't have Legos or alligators for their moat, or random lap tests,” Grayson said. “Thank God we live now!”
“Indeed, and, if y'all would excuse me to get the rest of these chairs set up, we can all be thanking the Lord together in just a few minutes,” the colonel said gently.
“OK,” the two little children said, and then went back into the house.
“I feel safe now!” Amanda said.
“Yeah, because when you talk to Cousin Harry about stuff, it all starts to make sense,” Grayson said. “He's not as snuggly as Cousin Maggie, but he kinda snuggles our brain and heart.”
“Yeah,” Amanda said, and then shared a hug with Grayson to keep the snuggle vibes going.