We had a visit today from a guy who came to quote us on furnace replacement.  As soon as he walked in I thought of my grandfather.  I think it was the smell--a wonderful mixture of coffee and motor oil.  It made me smile.  The longer he was here, the more he reminded me of my grandfather.  He was funny, he was open, he was genuine. He good-naturedly teased me for not having a railing on the basement stairs--"My knees!  I need to grab something and pull myself up."

While he was here, he was measuring the furnace and the ducts downstairs, which is where the kids have their scooters.  Nathan and Mary were working on a Christmas gift and had a pile of wood and a few saws busy.  Joseph was zooming around on his scooter.  Charlie and Elisabeth were on the PlasmaCars (she's a pretty good driver!)  I apologized for the noise (and zooming kids) and he smiled and said, "Don't worry.  I know you have your daycare."  I laughed and said, "No, they're all mine."  If he'd been sitting, he'd have fallen off his chair.  His voice shot up 2 octaves, "ALL yours?!"  He was laughing hard.  "Good for you!  It's  your own daycare!"

The Spirit was strong--it seems kind of strange that it should be so, but it was.  I laughed a little and cried a little when he left.