This past month I went on my annual trip to Myrtle Beach with my daughter, sisters, aunt and cousins. This was the the sixth year that we went to the beach together. Each summer we pack up our cars and drive down to the beach in order to spend a week of quality time together. Each trip has been a blessing to me and I have cherished this time with my family. One of the many wonderful perks of taking part in this tradition has been the opportunity to spend time with Walker and Willow and watch them grow from year to year.
This past trip was exciting and fun because, they were at that wonderful age of innocence and imagination. In the evenings we would play Disney bingo or Nintendo DS and they would also perform and sing songs for us. We laughed and had a lot of fun swimming and playing in the sand. One of the best things I experienced was watching Walker and Willow be "Super Willow" and "Super Walker"! Willow was very similar to "Celine Dione on tour" and Walker with a cape draped over his shoulders was a super hero -able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!
The week was filled with laughter and lots of giggles and playful wrestling. There are two moments from this past trip that are special and dear to my heart. These moments are actually "little nuggets " that may be small but; in reality more valuable than gold.
Samantha ( my daughter) and I was in our room getting ready to turn in for the night, when Willow came back to visit us for a while. Willow was holding a small "mood charm" and she began to tell us about the magical "mood charm". The mood charm was actually a wishing charm and she explained the rules of this "wishing game". Samantha and I listened intently as she explained the guidelines to the wishing game. She told us that to hold the charm between our fingers and if the charm turns a certain color you can make a wish in a certain category. For instance, if the charm turns green, then you can make a wish pertaining to animals. If the charm turns purple, then you could something for your family. It is only when the charm turns the color blue that you can wish for anything your heart desires. After Willow had told us all these guidelines she handed me the charm and told me I could make a wish. I took the charm and held it between my fingers and closed my eyes. After a moment I opened my eyes and looked down and the charm had turned blue. When Willow saw that the charm was a beautiful shade of vibrant blue she said with excitement, Jackie, "you can wish for whatever you want!" I said, "O.K! Lets see now..." one thought went rushing through my mind, I knew that the weather channel had been predicting rain for the next few days -so I said, "I wish it wouldn't rain -so we can get in the pool and play in the ocean and have a lot of fun on our trip." I handed the charm back to Willow and she said," That's a good wish", now it's my turn and taking the charm, she held it between her tiny little fingers and closed her eyes. After a moment she opened her eyes and looked to see what color the charm had turned. When she saw that the color was the same bright blue hers eyes twinkled and a smile lit up her face. She said, "Jackie, I can wish for what ever I want!" "she closed her eyes again and in her sweet little voice she spoke with honest sincerity, "I wish it wouldn't rain so that we can have a lot fun on our trip and I wish that everyone here on vacation will have a good trip together and that the rain will go away so everyone will have a good trip with their families. I wish that everyone was happy and that no one would mean to each other and I wish that everyone got along and that everyone would be good to each other and love each other." As I watched this small child making her wish -I was suddenly jolted back into a better place. Listening to her say these unselfish words with a pure heart opened my eyes to my own self centered wish. Her wish was as if God was speaking to me and gently shaking me out of a selfish slumber. Willow was not only thinking of herself- She was thinking of others who had come to the beach on vacation. Her wish was not only for us but, for everyone. Her words spoke of more than just fun in the sun- they were words concerning basic human nature about being good to others and loving everyone. Willow's wish is the perfect example of why Jesus spoke these words "Let the little children come to me , and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Mt. 19:14 and when questioned "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?" He(Jesus) called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children you will never the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Mt. 18:2-4
As we grow older and face the pressure's of life we lose our innocence and our hearts become toughened and thick skinned. Life has a way of hardening us and forcing us to become survivors. As we age our hearts and minds are constantly being layered with thousands upon thousands of memories, thoughts, knowledge and feelings. The aging process steals our innocence and depletes our hearts and minds of naivety. It seems as if life robs us of the ability to love unconditionally and to feel honest pure emotions for one another. Our minds are clouded with the hard realities of life-it is heartbreaking.
God exposed me to another wonderful lesson in being selfless and thinking of others. One evening at the Cracker Barrel restaurant when we had gone there to eat supper Walker volunteered to say the blessing. He bowed his head and closed his eyes in reverence to God and prayed a humble prayer to God. His words were sincere and honest and they flowed from his heart. Walker ask God to bless the food and he also ask God to take care of all the people on vacation and He ask God to keep them safe and to protect them. He prayed and ask God to keep us safe on our way home and to protect us. He prayed for his poppy(father) and ask God to watch over him and he ask God to please help the people of Hatti. Sitting there in the middle of Cracker Barrel resturant I listened to a 5 year old child pray for another country and for people he didn't even know - I was amazed and humbled. Walker didn't consider who might be watching- he was not the least bit embarrassed -he simply bowed his head and prayed to Jesus-he was not intimated in any way. We are to strive to be like a child - we are to humble ourselves, unashamed and true and pure. We should all be more giving and thoughtful and consider others more and less of ourselves. Walker and Willow gave me a wonderful gift on our vacation-being around them was like being a young child again. Playing and watching them play- was joyful. But, the most precious gift that they gave me was the gift of seeing through the eyes of a child and remembering how it felt to be innocent.
