Last week a friend of mine could not make it to work because her son was sick. Her precious boy suffers from terrible breathing issues. When he gets a cold it goes to his lungs and what seems like a few days of being miserable to most of us becomes sleepless nights of struggling to breath. She is the Mother, so she is up all night loving him through this every minute of the way. And let me tell you, the night gets very long when you are holding your boy and hoping his next breath will come. When I call my friend in the morning to ask how her night went, it is often met with tears of exhaustion and fear that the medicine is not working fast enough. And sometimes it is tears of celebration that she thinks it is breaking and he has finally turned the corner. Most of all, my friend is one of those amazing women that is able to face each day with great love and hope. Hope that her son will find a doctor that can help understand what will help him heal and hope that he will keep growing into the man that he is meant to be.
When I was trying to love her through this past week, it became my own gift that she asked me to stand in as “her” at the preschool. She is the 4 year old teacher at the magical preschool that I have been taking my children and teaching for over a decade.
So I was the luckiest girl to be able to be with a dozen precious 4 year olds last week. If you have not been with a 4 year old recently, I invite you to find one and sit down and really talk to them or even better, let them just share some of their thoughts or ideas. They share so honestly, so deeply and straight from their heart. One of the girls that I really enjoy talking to had a couple of things to say to me as she worked very diligently at the art table.
The best part about this age of human is that they just speak openly. They just say what is on their mind. Out of nowhere she says to me, “You are a scaredy-cat.” Now she was not trying to be mean or hurt my feelings…just a thought. And as I sat there I wanted to answer back, "Oh, no…I am not a scaredy-cat. I have had to go through so many things and I always get through them somehow…." But, as her words settled in to my mind, I realized, you know what, I am a scaredy-cat sometimes. And that is okay. So I did not even answer. I just let her words float into the air. And then her next thought as she cut the piece of construction paper, “I climb mountains.” I just sat there playing with the crayons on the table…and this one I did respond to and said, “I climb mountains, too.” She quickly answered, “I climb mountains to the TOP.” Well, not sure I have climbed to the top of the “mountains” that I am still challenged by. So I let her have that one. I hope one day I feel like I have made it to the top. But, today I know I am still climbing.
Her words have stayed with me and they have brought a smile to my face as I place them in to my own life and what they mean to me today.
You are a scaredy-cat…..(and that is okay, sometimes that is how we learn new things!) I climb mountains. (Some of us are still climbing and we know one day we will make it to the TOP!) The innocence of just speaking what we are thinking. Not needing anyone to respond. Just sharing what is on our mind and in our hearts. The comfort of a preschool classroom where you can do some art, sit in someone’s lap and read a book, do a puzzle on the floor. I had 3 days of connecting with the most precious souls. It made the world feel like a better place. It filled my heart with so much joy and peace. If you need some really good medicine for your soul…go visit a 4 year old and see what they have to share. It will fill your heart and make you smile.
And their words might even connect you to something deep in your own heart!
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