Thursday, November 1, 2012

Sacred Trust

"Daddy, I sleeped on you when you was a doctor," my three-year-old granddaughter told her puzzled father.  Then he realized she had probably seen the picture of him in scrubs holding her as a newborn at the hospital.  Somewhere Maddie had associated the attire and the head covering he had worn as being medical garb, or in her mind, that of a doctor.

I love to hear of her funny sayings, as well as those of her big sister, soon-to-be-six-Anne-Marie.  Our son is home-schooling her, and for a kindergartener, her lessons sound a bit ambitious, kind of like the tutored children of old, schooled in literature, the arts and such.  The other day she referred to her lesson as "rosaparkstone."  She had combined Rosetta Stone and Rosa Parks.  No, she wasn't trying to understand Egyptian heiroglyphs, but she was learning French with an internet program by that name, as well as learning about the civil rights activist.  I mentioned he might be pushing her a little!

I have a heart for children, having raised six of my own, being blessed with 18 (oops, 20 with the new adoptions!) grandchildren, and now three great-grandbabies.  I guess that's why I noticed the little child wandering aimlessly near a church school when we picked up our grands at their school yesterday. "Look, Howard, that child is in the road!" I exclaimed to my husband.  He had walked in front of a car, safely, thankfully, but I could see the little boy, maybe 4, was unattended.

"Let  me out, I think he's lost!," I said as Howard slowed and I got out.  When the little boy saw me, he hurried away.  "Wait!" I called, "Do you go to school here?"  He looked  maybe old enough to be in pre-K.  He nodded, and I asked where his teacher was.  He pointed, but said, "My dad has already picked me up."  His parent was no where in sight, and the child slipped into an interior courtyard.

Just then I saw a teacher-like figure going up the outdoor stairs, and called to her. "That little boy was in the street!"  She shrugged exasperatedly and said it was an everyday occurrence.  His father picks him up, then he comes back to play with no supervision.  Well, as long as they knew about it.  I got back in the car, shaking my head.  What risky behaviour.

The Bible says children are a heritage from the Lord. (Psalm 127:3).  In other words, they are not really ours, but God's. We get to keep them for awhile, hopefully raising them with love, care, and guidance.
Our pattern for nurturing children is the heart of God. In Hosea 11:3,4, He exhibits tenderness and sensitivity when He says, "I taught Ephraim to walk, Taking them by their arms...I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love...I stooped and fed them."

Besides the expanded subjects Jamie is teaching his little girl, he is also teaching her the basics, like learning to read.  "She's reading now, Mom," he said on the phone, "She read to her Nana the other day when she was here."  I suggested that she could read to me on the phone.  "Or Skype," he said, "I'll get her on Skype and you can hear and see her read."  Rosetta Stone aside, I like the modern technology!  Especially when it connects me with my grandchildren!

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