Among the kids visiting the other day, one stood out. He was not the loudest or most rowdy. In fact, most of the time he was rather quiet although he did have his moments. He was not the tallest in the group. As one of the kids in the middle, I suspect he thinks of himself as short for his age. What stood out was the serious he exhibited when he did anything and for his questions.
When Shawn asked a question, he did not whimsically throw it in your direction. He stopped, looked directly and deeply into your eyes, and asked his question. There was no hesitation in his gaze. Long, steady, and focused. His eyes never moved until he heard and understood the question. The one time I seemed distracted by a noise in the room, he reached out, took my big hands in his small ones and started again. Eyes never wavering.
As we played together, I rediscovered a way of seeing life through Shawn’s eyes.
When you are asked to draw something, always have a reason for what you do. A request to paint a self-portrait. As the contemporary drawing emerged, it was fun to see the features emphasized as well as the ones forgotten. When asked why, he slowly walked through each feature of his face as well as the stick body, explaining each articulately for an adult even though he is not yet five.
When you fight with balloons, always remember the spirit of the game. In his way of fighting, we were playing touch football not tackle. The goal was to make sure the other knew s/he had been tapped. He had no interest in breaking the balloon on anyone’s backside. The scene played out as a fun contrast; girls trying to hit others as hard as they could and Shawn trying to tap others as often as he could.
In the end, always give others a big hug.
“I delight far more in what you tell me about living than in gathering a pile of riches.” (Psalm 119.14)
