From Brazil & Beyond!: Saturday & Sunday 8-24-08

Kids trying Tai Chi class with daddy!

This weekend I had a very special time with my children! Shalom walked into my room with a cup of water and spilt it on the floor but close to the electrical cords... I said, "what did you do!?" and Shalom began to cry and ran out. I saw her heart! She was truly broken because she thought she had ruined something of mine... I saw her in a real moment of crises! I called her to come into the room and called her to my lap on the floor. This, I thought, is one of those moments she may remember for the rest of her life, how I handle this could make a big difference. So I told her, "this is just stuff! You are more important than any of these things!" She said, "I know that you dont have many things and that your things are important to you." Once again I knew she saw deeper than just the act of spilling water on the floor. I just held her and told her how much I loved her.

There was a movie out about something about a "boy from mars" which was a story about a boy that had been really disfunctional and how a man touched his life... I didnt see the whole movie, but what i saw showed a boy having broken an item and said something to the degree knowing that the man wouldnt want him any longer because he had broken something of value... The man in the movie took the boy to his kitchen and took out all his plates and took turns throwing them with the boy, breaking them on the floor to show that all his things werent that important.

I want to "mark" my children in a positive way... Using my moments with the children to make sure they understand that they are loved and not missing the big moments because of stuff! We cleaned up the water together and both had a warm feeling in our hearts. This moment may be a moment that she remembers in 20 years and it may not, but I will never forget it!