Saturday, June 2, 2012

We can learn so much from children….

Yesterday, I blogged about how my year-and-a-half granddaughter stood up in the middle of my grandfather’s memorial service and cheered “yay” with the greatest glee.  To her, the gathering of folks was a cause for celebration not one that should be somber.  I was grateful for her perspective and adopted it as my own. 

During the service, I watched the other four young children, all under the age of three, go about their individual tasks.  As some members of the gathering softly cried, one tiny baby slept through the whole event.  For him, life went on.  He needed a nap and took it, content with the sounds of loved ones surrounding him.  Never mind that we were attending a memorial.  Another baby girl enjoyed the opportunity to be held by her grandmother, my aunt.  

The baby carried on with living as she absorbed her surroundings, especially the way the sunlight spilled through the multi-colored stained glass windows, twinkling rainbow flecks of light dancing here and there.  Her older brother, a mere two and a half years old, was more sophisticated and was able to sit through the whole event.  Though I did chuckle as I watched him eye my granddaughter across the aisle.  His eyes barely blinked as he took her in.  Every minute movement was logged as he studied her.  He did what was appropriate to him, he continued living, learning and connecting with those around him.  Meanwhile, my granddaughter sucked on a lollipop, flirted with those around her and did what she does best, took the greatest joy in the simple act of living life to its fullest.  Two pews ahead of me, another toddler boy did what came naturally to him.  His mom’s cell phone in hand, he used a coloring ap to draw out whatever images played in his mind.  Every now and again, he’d look up to survey what those around him were doing.  Then, as if inspired by the goings on, his head would again drop and his fingers would hastily tap away at the screen, him creating works of art in the process.  Delighted with his creations, he did what comes naturally to children.  He needed to share his work with someone who might appreciate it.  So he sought out a likely individual….  During a point while the rest of us stood and sang a hymn, the small boy crawled his way across the bench, tapped my oldest daughter’s hand and held up his mom’s phone so my daughter could spy his work of art.  She did and smiled her approval.

During the entire ceremony, a comforting thought filled my mind, warming my very soul.  This is what my grandfather would’ve loved.  He would have been thrilled to see all these small children demonstrating to the rest of us what we should be doing.  That we should stop mourning and get on with the fine art of living. 

Indeed, we can learn so much from children….