I remember the words as if I wrote them myself. It was a prophetic statement, written by someone with similar beliefs, taunting me as if to say, I beat you to your own thoughts. They happen more than I would like, neglected moments of invention, when songs I could have written, products I could have created, or phrases I have pondered life long find the light of day through innovative outlets other than my own.
The proverb I am referring was uttered during a verbal exchange of two TV characters. The writer, drawing on a cliché, penned the following exchange between a father and his associate. “Sometimes we don’t teach our children, sometimes they teach us.” Taking the words out of my mouth, I was bested once again by a like minded thinker leaving me to ponder the serendipity of the statement alone. And while deep in thought…I updated my facebook status…because that is what hip, computer savvy social networkers do in light of poetic expression. Nevertheless, I was reminded of my deep-seated feelings on family matters, children, and personal growth by a character on TV. Whatever gets your attention, right?
Thinking through such a simple statement reminded me of the birth of my youngest daughter Haegan and her 3-4 month battle with colic. The struggles of child rearing fade quickly over time but while entrenched in infancy, little things like colic represent a mountain, not a mole hill. Endless crying, late nights, little to no sleep all add to the challenge of parenthood yet a simple smile or gentle hug wipe away sleep stained eyes in an instant. New life, no matter how difficult, present parents with pure joy capable of rejuvenating even the most tired of souls. It is a lesson only an infant can teach and only a parent can understand.
Once the colic faded, Haegan taught me that simple things oftentimes supersede those of complexity with smiles, giggles, and funny faces. She’d react to fire trucks, kittens, puppies, and other babies in expressive ways most of us have unknowingly grown past. She’d talk to strangers, tap burley biker-looking men on the shoulder, hug random animals, and make use of the oddest items. Through her innocence I learned that most people melt when engaged by an outgoing baby, grown men can and will go gaga unwittingly in public, judging people by their appearance is not only wrong but most often inaccurate. I also learned that while I was charged with raising Haegan, I was essentially a student and the lessons were for me.
As Haegan’s 2nd birthday quickly approaches, I am sometimes saddened with the passing of time. I am unsettled by certain changes; changes that subtly erase infancy, yet elated by others, charting Haegan’s milestones with the pride of a lion. Indeed, the transitions bring forth knowledge but a certain side of me wants to harness time and relish the moments that are simply slipping into photographs for my future self to see.
In reality, a year is equivalent to 365 days but for the last two years, I have experienced a lifetime of learning under the tutelage of a daddy’s girl in vast and colorful world I have only begun to see.
Happy birthday Haegan, may we traipse, and sing, and smile, and play, and tickle, and pat, and laugh, and jump, and swing, and hop, and walk, and love for the rest of the time we have on God’s earth.
The proverb I am referring was uttered during a verbal exchange of two TV characters. The writer, drawing on a cliché, penned the following exchange between a father and his associate. “Sometimes we don’t teach our children, sometimes they teach us.” Taking the words out of my mouth, I was bested once again by a like minded thinker leaving me to ponder the serendipity of the statement alone. And while deep in thought…I updated my facebook status…because that is what hip, computer savvy social networkers do in light of poetic expression. Nevertheless, I was reminded of my deep-seated feelings on family matters, children, and personal growth by a character on TV. Whatever gets your attention, right?
Thinking through such a simple statement reminded me of the birth of my youngest daughter Haegan and her 3-4 month battle with colic. The struggles of child rearing fade quickly over time but while entrenched in infancy, little things like colic represent a mountain, not a mole hill. Endless crying, late nights, little to no sleep all add to the challenge of parenthood yet a simple smile or gentle hug wipe away sleep stained eyes in an instant. New life, no matter how difficult, present parents with pure joy capable of rejuvenating even the most tired of souls. It is a lesson only an infant can teach and only a parent can understand.
Once the colic faded, Haegan taught me that simple things oftentimes supersede those of complexity with smiles, giggles, and funny faces. She’d react to fire trucks, kittens, puppies, and other babies in expressive ways most of us have unknowingly grown past. She’d talk to strangers, tap burley biker-looking men on the shoulder, hug random animals, and make use of the oddest items. Through her innocence I learned that most people melt when engaged by an outgoing baby, grown men can and will go gaga unwittingly in public, judging people by their appearance is not only wrong but most often inaccurate. I also learned that while I was charged with raising Haegan, I was essentially a student and the lessons were for me.
As Haegan’s 2nd birthday quickly approaches, I am sometimes saddened with the passing of time. I am unsettled by certain changes; changes that subtly erase infancy, yet elated by others, charting Haegan’s milestones with the pride of a lion. Indeed, the transitions bring forth knowledge but a certain side of me wants to harness time and relish the moments that are simply slipping into photographs for my future self to see.
In reality, a year is equivalent to 365 days but for the last two years, I have experienced a lifetime of learning under the tutelage of a daddy’s girl in vast and colorful world I have only begun to see.
Happy birthday Haegan, may we traipse, and sing, and smile, and play, and tickle, and pat, and laugh, and jump, and swing, and hop, and walk, and love for the rest of the time we have on God’s earth.
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