Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Paper-covered Tabletop

This morning Owen went down for his nap and Ian and I decided to color. I pulled out our huge butcher paper, taped it to the table, and we set about coloring. He started here in his chair, pulling out color by color and drawing in his space.
 Soon he was up on his belly, passing me crayons, announcing what he was drawing, and encouraging me to join in. It was so fun to watch him color. He's come a long way from just drawing a few lines and calling it quits. Today he wanted to fill up the entire paper, of his own volition.  What a joy to observe.
Metaphorically, I loved thinking about this in how it relates to the world, too. As a child, his life is a blank canvas, with just a few brush strokes started on this journey called life. My heart's desire is for him to move forward, full throttle, into the life he was meant to live. Making mistakes, starting over with a new crayon, moving into some blank spaces he's never explored before. That's what life is all about. It's lying on your belly with your legs lifted up behind you, leaning in to the adventure on the page before you.

With all that's gone on this week, a blank tabletop covered in paper offered some hope.

How do I want to foster and encourage their life's masterpieces?

It's inspiring and humbling at the very same time. I want our boys' childhoods to be so full of rich experiences, exposing him to other cultures and people. I want them to have a heart for every person and the ability to listen and engage people from all walks of life. This starts at home. It's already started.


No comments:

Post a Comment