Folks who know me for very long hear me talk about my children, and inevitably, I will say, “I have the most wonderful children in the world.” If you are a parent, you have the right to disagree, but I’m telling you: my children are amazing. We’ve pretty much come to expect them to be, and they don’t let us down.
Take yesterday for instance.
My seven-year old and I have been battling a respiratory virus for over a week now. Yesterday he felt well enough to make a trip to the store to do some shopping for his big sister. He had two things on his “Must Have for Anna” list. One was easy to find. The other…not so much.
Our mission was to find a specific Littlest Pet Shop bunny with a Chinese hat. We had seen several the week prior, but now they were all gone.
After hitting a few stores, Robert was waning. We had one more place to try. After that, I was pulling the plug. When we drove into the parking lot, Santa greeted us. He was waving broadly, and his, “Ho! Ho! Ho!” rang across the parking lot.
When we stopped, Robert got out of the van and stared Santa’s direction. I looked at my son. “Want to go talk to him?” Robert nodded. Off we went, watching for cars, holding hands, partners in a quest.
When Robert reached Santa, Santa was joyful and attentive. He asked what Robert wanted. I knew exactly what Robert would ask for. “Well,” he started, “I want a Littlest Pet Shop. I want a bunny.” He promptly described the bunny exactly. “It wears a hat. The hat is a Chinese hat.” He then described the hat exactly, too. Santa listened with rapt attention.
When Robert was done describing this toy in great detail, Santa asked, “Do you want anything else?”
Robert broke his eye contact with Santa and shrugged. “I don’t know. That is really all I can think of right now.” Santa suggested Robert drop him a letter. Robert nodded and said he would try to do that later that day. Santa shook his hand, and Robert thanked Santa.
I took Robert’s hand, and we headed toward the store. I had Robert’s wish list in my purse. He could have mentioned any of the things on it, but I knew none of them would come up. I knew Robert would tell Santa about one rabbit with a Chinese hat. He did exactly what I expected our wonderful son to do, and as usual, he was amazing.
copyright Jerri Phillips 2007
What a good sweet boy and great brother he is! This sounds like a new Christmas story for your family to retell for years to come.
ReplyDeleteJohanna,
ReplyDeleteHe is such a joy, and he is a fabulous brother. Thankfully, Anna realizes that, too, and she thanks the Lord for him daily in her prayers.
Jan, I love this post. Thank you for being an arm of the body that gathers intercessors. Lives will be changed and healed through your obedience to the Lord.
I was just thinking about what a message this is in giving. Oh, if only we could become as a child again. Thanks so much for sharing this. :)
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful! Your kids sound terrific! You are doing a marvelous job :)
ReplyDeleteRobin,
ReplyDeleteThey are amazing. Thank you for your compliment. God is so faithful and good. He equips us where we need it and gives wisdom when we sit and listen. He has blessed us beyond our wildest dreams and continues to do so daily.