We live in a blue collar town. I drive over at least two sets of train tracks on the way to day care. I drive by two huge grain silos, and too many trucking parking lots to count. Most of the time, we go early enough that we see two or three 18 wheelers, and if I have my way, we do not get stopped by any trains. They both represent things that are good in my life, but slow my day down a few extra minutes. Minutes I could use to drink some coffee or check Facebook. Thomas however sees these marvels of engineering as a delight to his soul. I guess most kids his age do, but I cannot comment on their reactions.
Most mornings my son is pretty laid back. We wake him up, get him dressed, put him in the car, and he is at day care in time for breakfast. But then some mornings my son drives me crazy some mornings. One morning in particular he was in a foul mood. It was like someone had swapped my son with the Bizarro version of him. He flipped and flopped trying to change his diaper. He did not want to get dressed. He tried to stay home. (Maybe it was just a teenage version of him somehow trapped in his body.) Once in the car, I turned on music to see if that would help. It did very little. Then we got stopped by a train. Another few minutes trapped with my anti-son, and a few minutes late.
Thomas then noticed the train. "Train... Train. Train! Train!!!" His voice audibly becoming happier with each exclamation. The train passed and we were on our way again. I learned a bit though, and as we passed the first lot, I pointed a few things out. "Big Truck! Big Truck! Biig Truuck!!" He was in pure bliss. It was incredible. I think we saw two or three trains, and almost 20 18 wheelers. By the time we got to day care, he was all smiles and dancing to meet his teacher.
The small parts of life. The parts that most of us see as annoyances. Those are also the same things that with the right vision become the joy bringers, the toys, the angels. When we see them with the eyes of a wonder-filled child the world becomes something more than it was before. How else do you explain boxes becoming trains, or pillows becoming forts. There is magic in the world than we could explain, and a lot more when a child sees it. There is no doubt why Jesus tells us to let the children come to him. If you want to overturn the way people view the world, start with the people that view the world differently. If you want to explain how to love your enemy, call the people that have not yet learned to hate. If you want to teach the world that rocks and trees can sing, dance with the people that can hear their song. I do not know if I have heard a rock sing, but one morning I know big machines showed me that my son has the eyes of God.
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