Tuesday, February 18, 2014

To My Son: 8 Quirks of Yours that Bring Me Closer to God


1.  Your Playing-With-Trains Position. 
Trains are a major obsession of yours, and you have a particular position that you find to be ideal for train-playing.  You lie down next to the track on your tummy, your head rested on one arm while your other arm moves the train back and forth.  You're brilliant; this position seems optimal for track-viewing and seeing trains as they ought to be--not from above, but alongside.  When you assume the Position, I know that you are lost in a world that only you and Thomas know.  I picture God in a similar position as life plays out for us, too.



2.  We call them your After Dinner Laps.  Every night, without fail, after you finish your dinner, you climb out of your chair and begin a sprint through the hallways, around and around the house.  Every. Night.  The rest of us love to find different ways to intercept you, whether it's Gracie trying to scare you from around the corner, or whether it's Daddy the Tickle Monster snatching you up, or whether it's me chasing you as a member of your track team because, let's face it, it's the only exercise I got all day.  It's predictable and yet never gets old, which oddly makes me think of God's role in our lives--as the ultimate around-the-corner surpriser, the occasional Tickle Monster, and definitely our teammate chugging along behind us.



3.  Your I'm-Mad-and-You-Should-Know-It Position.  Nothing pushes Daddy and me to hide our amusement more than this position that you assume when you are upset.  This maneuver is silent and still and has occurred everywhere from our kitchen floor to the floor of the Science Center.  It's your own version of planking, and it's hilarious.  You don't find it funny, though, and Daddy and I try really hard to humor you by taking you Very Seriously in these moments.  Don't feel bad.  I believe that I probably look like this often in God's eyes, and despite his knowledge that it's not as bad as I think it is, he still takes me Very Seriously, too.


 
4.  Your Awesomely Unchecked Love of Traditionally "Girly" Toys/Activities.  The benefit of having an older sister that you idolize is that you are able to play with girl stuff without being ridiculed.  The
other day, Gracie had her princess dolls lined up with their dresses laid out in a different line.  She was quizzing you on which dress went with which princess.  You knew almost all of them.  Your favorite princess is Elsa, you asked for a wand for a prize at Happy Joe's, and you are happy to have tea with anyone who might be interested.  Needless to say, the girls at school love you.  I have heard it from several of their parents.  I love that you are still at a stage where you can explore all sorts of interests and not have to worry about whether it's manly or not.  You have value no matter what you love and what you choose to dive into. God's been encouraging this lesson in me for a long time and I've never understood it better than when I can watch you play uninhibited.



5.  Your Need to Touch. 
Anyone who sits next to you at dinner has been the victim of The Zeke Shoulder.  If you are ever close enough to someone to touch them, you will, regardless of whether you have BBQ sauce on your fingers or not.  Many of my shirt sleeves can attest to this. You've just always been a cuddler and a toucher.  You like contact and closeness with others.  I think this is why so many of your family members scoop you up as soon as they see you--they love to be on the receiving end of cuddles from you.  I hope you never grow out of this, as so many people suffer from isolation and trust issues.  We all kind of need fingerprints on our shirts.



6.  Your Passive Aggressive Retaliation.  You are a kid who is a lover, not a fighter.  However there are plenty of times that your anger can be pushed to a certain level that I call your Attack Phase.  Somehow, even when you were two, you figured out that hitting or other forms of physical aggression would only get you in trouble.  So, instead, if someone angers you, you will do one of the following: stick your tongue out, roar in their face, stand extremely close to them so that they are uncomfortable, and/or my favorite, hugging them extremely hard.  None of these things are infractions that are technically breaking rules, and you have figured out how to retaliate without getting yourself in trouble.  Well done.  I wish I had the strength to hug people that annoy me, too!  I'm still working on that.



7.  Your Laugh.  Oh My Goodness, Your Laugh.  You laugh with your entire body, heart, and soul.  You always have.  When something tickles your funny bone, we all gather round and watch you lose it!  Your laugh is an encounter with an unreplicable joy, full force. This is one of my favorite videos of you when you were 15 months old.  No further explanation needed.



8.  The Unparalleled Joy That Your Sister Brings Out in You. 
You and Gracie are best friends.  There are times when we visit cousins or other friends and she occasionally ditches you for older kids and you cannot hide your disappointment!  But, never fear, Buddy.  She loves you so much--as much as you love her.  She looks out for you ("Zekie!  Don't eat that!  It has dairy in it!") and often looks past her own desires to make you happy ("Zekie can keep Hungry Hungry Hippos in his room because he loves it so much").  While the road is sometimes rocky between siblings, it makes me inexplicably happy to know you two will be loyal to each other for life.  You are so blessed, and so am I.



This is just a short list of the things that make you the beautiful and highly entertaining three year old that you are.  Though I pray daily that you come to know God and that you can show God's light to others, I have to say that already I've grown to know God's love just by loving and being loved by you.  Also, because I know how deeply you already impact me, Buddy, I want to share it with anyone I can.  You light up my blog, and you fill up my heart.  I love you.

Love,
Mommy