Friday, October 3, 2014

Word Walk

"Your phone is ringing," Howard prompted me. I reached for my purse and heard my son ask if I wanted to Facetime. I had to decline, since were in the middle of a Scrabble game at the church Senior meeting. When I got home, I discovered the reason for his call. I turned on Facebook and there was baby Isaac being held in place by his sister with an excited look on his face. The short video revealed he was walking!

It was only the day before that I'd seen him stand alone for the first time! A little later we did get to Facetime, after Isaac was refreshed by a nap and lunch and in fine form! He repeatedly took short, almost running, steps between dad and big sister, with 5-year-old Maddie recording on the iPhone. We were all giddy with laughter and pride in this little prodigy. At the end of his coaching sessions, Isaac amazed me by turning from his grip on the coffee table and stepping confidently to his daddy!

We'd had a great time playing Scrabble that morning, although we didn't set any records. Our words tended to be short and zany, eliciting a lot of laughs. After all, we were senior citizens, one who professed she didn't read much, one a NASA retiree, and Howard and I. We had brought our huge, deluxe set with the revolving turn-table, non-slip grid surface, and one-inch tiles--perfect!

What a dichotomy we were! Isaac with his short steps and us with our short words! We have a lot in common, though, with the baby's next stage being that of speaking his own short words. Our little grandson is already an expert at communication, though, through crying, smiling, reaching, facial expressions and baby babbles. I'm not sure if he's making words yet, other than ma-ma or da-da.

His father was a bit of a late talker. He said few words early, like "cat" and "git" (to the pesky puppy), then clammed up, only to start speaking in paragraphs when he decided to talk. I think his sisters followed the same pattern, but we will wait and see what Isaac does. If he is like the rest of his family, he will have wonderful communication skills, speaking clearly and concisely, and in the case of his sisters, non-stop!

Words are invaluable to our expression. The Bible calls Jesus the Word. John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and Word was with God, and the Word was God." Jesus was the expression of God.

I love the Bible verse in Psalm 119:105, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." I liken that to the upper and lower beam of headlights. Sure to steady the feet of little Isaac and all others who keep His paths, no matter what their age!

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