Certainty is a word describing something most struggle to see and find it even hard to embrace.
The scene could have been replayed anywhere in the world. A young mother was walking the dog while managing her young son who was intent on turning any effort to push himself along on his three-wheel scooter into a wild ride with mom doing all the work. By all visual metrics the kid was masterfully getting his way.
The spaniel was wagging her tail and joyfully walking along side, pulling on the leash to distract mom almost magically when it was needed. The mom was laughing and trying to keep things organized, distracted enough to seemingly not realize she was being pulled in all directions and in control of none. The boy was sitting flat on the scooter floor, hands rightly gripping the bar steering post, legs still and stretched, body bent over in a bent position seemingly refined in a wind tunnel. He was looking for speed!
As mom walked, pushed, and pulled at a pace where a slow trot would have been easier, you could see a smile that screamed love, happiness, and a sense of purposeful peace. As I watched I was reminded of my mother in her best moments. I knew then I was loved. I also knew that mom’s love was as “dependable as the phases of the moon, inescapable as weather.” (Psalm 89.37)
I caught myself smiling inside, filled with a renewed sense of hope and possibilities. In one kid’s life, everything was possible! He was in the moment, living full, riding hard. If only every moment and day would be like this one.
I was reminded that happiness is always self defined and a personal choice. Today is was cruising on the scooter, imaging the world rushing by and the wind pushing me off my seat. Love given freely. When one experiences it, treasure and revel in the moment! Let everything go and be out there like a kid. Tomorrow it could be anything that I choose for it to be.
