Melt my Heart

It's the little things that melt my heart, that make me smile, that make life and parenting worth it (or at least that help me realize its worth, heh). The simplicity of childhood. Now that is a worthy attainment. Luka challenges me to wonder why I act the way I do or am the way I am. Or why society works the way it does. Not long ago we were at our favorite restaurant, a cozy little pizza place owned and run by some very good friends of ours. There is this one large plant in the middle of the restaurant that receives obvious abuse from many of the children that eat there. There are two or three particular large leaves that get the brunt of the abuse. Luka has definitely added his fair share of kicks and slaps to those leaves and we have used these occasions to teach him to not destroy other people's property be gentle with plants. Well anyway, that night I saw him heading over to the poor plant and told him, "Luka, don't hit the plant, just kiss it." He smiled, leaned over to kiss a leaf, patted it gently, and then ran on to other adventures. He kissed the plant. No questions asked, no that is silly, I wonder what people will think, but I'll look crazy, why shoudl I KISS a plant. He just simply did it, smiled and moved on. I love that! I love that he goes outside, sees a flower sniffs it, smiles and says "Mmmm. Sniff. Mmm." And that he calls me over to smell it too. I love that when he is walking by if I call out to him he looks at me, breaks a huge grin out on his face, rushes over to me in excitement and gives me a big hug and kiss. All it takes is me showing the slightest interest in him and he responds with full blown affection.

So as adults, as "grown up" "wiser" people, why do we not trust that simply, love that easily, respond to each other that openly, seek to share things we enjoy that readily, even if those things don't make a big difference in the world, such as smelling a flower? Is it possible to be just as responsible for the things we need to do as grown ups, but with the simple enjoyment of life as a child? Why did Christ teach about living with a child-like faith? Maybe part of it was because children trust completely, love unconditionally, and don't judge or criticize. I'm not saying kids are perfect. We all know they can be self-centered, selfish, disobedient little boogers, but they can also exemplify a simple approach to joy, fun, love and general outlook on life. Sin is the cause of so much of the hurt, distance, pride, judgment, criticism, negativity and wariness that we all learn to build up walls against to "protect" ourselves. It's easier to not trust and stay "safe" than to trust and be let down or hurt. Right? Or wrong? What if we all trusted a little more, loved more openly, shared more joyfully, if we all did it, wouldn't there be more victory over sin and the quality of life be improved? I'm not saying we should just throw ourselves out to get hurt all of the time. Maybe we can just simplify things a little and not get so wrapped up in "issues." Maybe we could focus more on what God has set before us to enjoy, rather than the things man has set up to abhor.
I have no idea how this post ended up here. I just started typing and this is what came out. Haha. I'm not even sure this makes any sense and it probably has a lot of room for correction and expansion. Or we could just go find some flowers to sniff and thank God for preserving such beauty for us to enjoy in the midst of all of the troubles that surround us.

My two handsomes
Watch out Wee One!

Haha. Too late. He got drenched. And he loved it, of course.
In case you were wondering, that is not our truck (I wish). We are helping a friend sell it.

Wathsup Mamma?

Just a boy in a truck. He likes to take after his Papi...

...and sometimes he imitates Momma, much to Jason's chagrin
hahaha

Until he gets back his manliness and decides these things are stupid. They're hard to walk in.

p.s. The first picture depicts the day the Wee decided it was much better to clutch and eat three pancakes all at once. And I mean...why not?