When I Wonder #2

I was with my parents this past week doing some work we occasionally like to do together. Part of our work is the work of grieving some tragedy and losses we have experienced in the past 6 years. This reminded me of another life experience collection my son went to Australia with.

Greyson spent the better part of his grade school years getting up early on Sunday mornings to go with his dad who would supply the preaching at some church who was for one reason or another missing their pastor. Greyson loved to get up, dress up like his dad, and go see these different churches and sit on the front row and listen to his dad preaching. On many occasions Guy would return home to tell me how Greyson had gone to the alter during the reflection time and would pray OVER his dad. He would put his hand on his dad's shoulder while his dad knelt and Greyson would bless his dad through prayer.

When my family experienced the death of Guy's dad, my younger brother, and Gaby and Greyson's 13 year old cousin all within a period of about 3 1/2 years, Guy, as lead clergy in the family, buried all these loved ones. Greyson, again, got dressed up like his dad, and stood on the same podium and sang at the funerals of his loved ones, all before the age of 13.

This explains some things, not because he sang, but because he was engaged and involved and invested. Singing just happened to be his service. It does explain his propensity to spot a hurting person and be able to connect with them in that hurtful place in their heart... His ability to write down words about hurtful experiences and put them in a song... His understanding that there is something mysterious but very real about this thing, God; not in a pretentious way, but a very real and raw way. He wants it to be real in him (or not at all, I might add), and if he participates in the delivery of hope in any way he desires it to be delivered in a real way and in a way that touches the people he is serving.

These life experiences can be very helpful at a time when you are encountering hundreds of new people from all over the world, being required to completely set life up- no dorms, no furniture, no fridge, no air (40 celcius, 103 degrees) and get yourself up, fed up, and cleaned up on time- or else you are fined. Yes, fined for being late or getting an assignment in on late. ( A little firey motivation never hurt anyone and fines mean less of something else. The college fund does not have a category for "fines.")

I am happy to report, he's faring well for today. God is showing up all over the place in connections, relationships, worship encounters, and even strangers. But it helps to have some life experiences to springboard from in all these new things.

So, as mommy in the empty nest, I have an enormous amount of peace right now. He is in better hands that he has ever been (cause he is definitely out of the reach of mine!)and his heart carries alot of resources he can draw from...besides the obvious.

More later on When I Wonder and other thoughts from the empty nests that baby birds fly far from.