Gifts of Sweetness

There are times as a parent when it is easy to be discouraged by the lack of results from the effort and energy you expend on trying to create, mold and make little people who grow up to be good, kind, loving, respectful big people.  Some days it seems altogether hopeless, other days it just seems like a distant dream.  But every now and then, you get that little glimpse, that glimmer of hope, that maybe, just maybe, they're picking up on some of it and making it their own.
Recently, I have been privileged enough to get a few of those...

A few months ago, Roger taught Bryan and Kate the Lord's prayer.  They often use it as their prayer at dinner.  One night Isabella asked "How do you know those words?"  Bryan procedeed to explain that Roger had taught them to him.  Later that night as I was putting away laundry in my bedroom I heard Kate and Bryan talking to Isabella in the girls' room.  Bryan was telling Isabella to repeat after him, and phrase by phrase he was reciting for her the Lord's prayer, trying to help her learn it.  It was such a tender moment I wanted to freeze time and be able to replay it whenever I needed to be reminded that they still might turn out OK. 

While driving home one day Bryan starts telling Isabella about Heaven and Hell.  Then he proceeds to tell her that she needs to love Jesus so she goes to Heaven.  Just in case she didn't figure it out for herself, he summarizes "You want to go to heaven."  For a boy that I don't think of as "outgoing" he has a great boldness in his faith and he sees the results as important enough to share with anyone he cares about.  We have so much to learn from our children.

Everynight before dinner we ask "Who wants to pray?"  9 times out of 10 Kate volunteers.  But one night, Isabella said she wanted to.  Here was her prayer: “Dear God, Thank you for Kate, and Sandra and Bryan and Roger, and thank you that I get to live here everyday. Amen.”

Other endearing quotes from Isabella:

“I so glad I get to live here.”

"Roger you my best friend!"
"I wish I could live here forever and ever."

We are getting to be part of something very big and very special in this little girl's life.  It is a gift.  And it has poured into our lives and our children's lives in the process.