“Look Mommy, my teacher and I made this for you.” What I heard when I picked Cian up from school today and he had this this picture in his hands. “You know God helped make me how I am and shared all the colors.”
“Mommy, did Daddy take that picture of you?” This I heard from Galen as he was looking through my phone and happened upon this photo … one I took of myself today so I could send it to a couple of friends after getting my hair cut/styled a bit different. (Thank you Erin).
Actually if it was not for Galen’s comment — this photo would have remained in my phone’s memory. I am pretty adept at using a camera. Dean used to tease me, however, that I had the most difficulty with the simplest cameras (point and click) and that I certainly am not adept at all at taking snap shots of myself. Yet, if Galen saw his daddy’s hand in creating this photo, who am I to argue.
Children are the most amazing creatures. They are open to new possibilities. They do not have the insecurities yet associated with asking lots and lots of questions or saying exactly what they are thinking at the time they are thinking it.
They are also capable of showing the most love, the most kindness — and so unassumingly. They do it because it is natural .. and right. Not for gain, and not for fear because if they do not they don’t they will have bad karma or be sentenced to an afterlife of misery.
There has been much debate and discussion on what Jesus meant when he said that in order to obtain everlasting life and the promise of heaven one needed to be similar to the child. It is not that the child has nothing, it is not that the child knows nothing — it is the complete opposite.
The child is still close to Divine — of course, there was a human womb growth experience, but really, a gift right from Divine. The child may not be able to express in any type of tangible words — but she HAS to remember the LOVE from which she came. She has to just know innately what it is like to be wrapped in the warmth of God before coming to live on this earth.
I was told today, also, that Galen shared a special present from one of his teacher with a little boy that was sad. One of Galen’s teachers brought in a little bag of kitty toys she no longer needed and gave them to Galen to bring home to his kitties. One of his friends was sad and he allowed him to have one of the special toys for himself. A pink ping-pong ball. Just a little thing, but it was relayed to me with a bit of tear and a wonderment at how big Galen’s heart is. Galen is my child that has special documentation to help him get through school because of some trouble with social and emotional situations. Trouble that was greatly exasperated with the family turmoil the past few years. Sometimes he has such emotion and feeling that he has trouble articulating that it comes out in what many see as crazy, inappropriate or just bad behavior. It was wonderful to hear him recognized for channeling emotions in a way that positively helped another.
To be like a child…
– to create a gift, full of color and love just because.
– to understand that even though Daddy may not be physically here .. he is very much around and even present for what seemed like a mundane moment of sharing with friends.
-to laugh and hug freely.
-to cry when it is needed.
-to share your own special gifts to make a friend less sad.
-to ask questions and not feel silly about it or self-conscious that you will be looked at as less for asking
-to not be afraid of speaking of and feeling a Spirit and a Universe greater than ourselves.
-to not be afraid just to BE exactly who you are.
SMILE! PLAY! ENJOY!