This past 4th of July, I took a trip with my
family to visit our relatives in Woonsocket, SD. There I met a little boy named Oscar, our nephew's son. He is not yet two and we fell in love with
each other. Through him I experienced
something rare and profound – God used him to give me a glimpse of his unconditional
love for me and blessed me with the rare joy of pure love that comes in the
beautiful and precious package of a child.
Oscar seemed to be drawn to me from the moment we met. His little face would light up when he saw me
and an expectant look of adventure would creep into his smile. I was delighted to oblige his prompting to go
for a walk or to play ball, or sweep the garage. He is a bundle of curiosity
and I think he saw in me a kindred spirit.
What I saw in Him was complete trust, love, joy and a pure spirit. I quickly observed that Oscar is a rare jewel
– able to look deeply into a person’s eyes and assess their willingness to not
only engage with him, but to delight in the world with him.
Through the course of the few days I was there, Oscar and I walked
a lot. At one point I was sitting outside on the porch steps with him and he
got up to take a step down. He faltered
and was just about to tip over when I reached out and caught him. He looked at me with large surprised eyes and
I said, “Oh – I saved you!” He understood that.
He steadied himself and then reached up ever so gently, putting both his
hands on my face and leaned in and kissed me as if to say “thank you.” It was a
beautiful gesture that brought tears to my eyes. “You’re welcome, Oscar – and thank you for
the kiss!” I replied. He laughed with
delight and we walked some more as he shared the wonders of the world as he saw
them; prickly grass, the rough bark on a tree, smooth dirt, the splash of a
rock in the pond.
As his Mom and Dad were preparing to leave for home one
morning, Oscar reached up for my hand to take me on one last walk. We walked down the street of the small town
and stopped by a large bale of hay. We had discovered hay in his Uncle’s barn
the day before and I had shown him how it was rough and bright and shone golden
in the sun and smelled sweet; he had been delighted at the discovery of it. He stopped and pulled a small handful of hay
out of the bale and offered it to me as if to say, “I remember this little
treasure that you shared with me.” He looked into my eyes for understanding and
I’m sure he saw a tear as I said, “yes, I remember too.” Remarkable!
We had a wonderful visit with everyone this year. Time seemed to pass slowly but in a beautiful,
grace-filled way. There was a sense of
welcome and unity that knits families together in a rare and eternal way. We
all were refreshed and full of the “weight” that love and acceptance gives a
soul. But I feel I had received a little
more than everyone else. God allowed me
to share in Oscar’s beautiful vision of the world – to see it fresh through his
eyes. He allowed me to experience the
love of a child – the kind of love that is given without reserve, without
expectations, without limit. And love begets love. What a gift I received from Oscar
and ultimately from my Heavenly Father.
Lord, may I too, love you with the love of a wondrous, open,
trusting and wide-eyed child; receiving the world and people around me as a
beautiful and precious gift.
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