Reaching across the purple loveseat where we sat, I grabbed a hunk of
my husband’s wildly overgrown hair and held it between my fingers. “I have an idea,” I said, “Let’s hold Daddy
down and cut his hair.”
The kids, sprawled around the room in various stages of candy
consumption, cheered at the idea.
My husband laughed and shrugged it off.
A second later Isaiah, returning at a run from the kitchen where the
scissors are kept, ran up behind my husband and started snipping.
John lunged forward and spun around to face his attacker, panicked at
the idea of a four-year-old hacking at his hair.
It sounded like Isaiah had scissors, but he didn’t. We all got a good laugh out of it and no one
was happier than Isaiah. His double
dimples winked with delight at the trick he played.
Standing behind John, the twins reenacted the prank over and over again
and John followed along responding to every attack with a leap and shout. It was like they were rehearsing parts in a
play.
Snip. Leap. Shout. Laugh.
They repeated the scene until their laughs were forced, a thin duplication
of their initial joy.
Looking on, I was reminded how often little children repeat the things
that give them joy. Tasting a moment of delight, they demand “do it again”, savoring its
sweetness, sucking joy down to its marrow.
I’m far more likely to reenact the difficult moments in life, to stand over
the kitchen sink come evening obsessively repeating a difficult conversation or
the bumpiest parts of my day. With the
remembering comes the feelings and, in the middle of a perfectly fine day, I
can find myself sunk in the shame or guilt of an incident that happened some
fifteen or twenty years ago.
This is what I thought as I watched my boys running themselves round
and around in that groove of delight.
Humans, young and old, learn through repetition and there they stood,
giggling, earning a degree in joy.
* * *
Welcome to the #SmallWonder link-up.
What if we chose to deliberately look for the small moments of wonder, the small sparks of presence, of delight or sorrow, of true humanity in which we meet God?
That’s my proposal – that we gather here each week to share one moment of Wonder from each of our days.
You’re invited to link-up a brief post about a small moment of wonder. Don’t worry if your post is too long, too short, or not just right – you’re welcome to come as you are.
While you’re here, please do take a look around and encourage at least one other blogger with a comment.
Ooh, what a scary moment to think a 4-yr-old is cutting your hair. ha. But such a great prank. "Do it again" is a fantastic motto for us with joy. Beautiful story, Kelly. I'll take this with me.
Thanks Lisa, good to see you here!
Love the reminder to keep on doing that which brings us deep joy. Beautiful story to remember today!
Thanks, Joanne.
What a great memory… and one that will surely stir up joy every time you revisit it!
I love thinking about our approach to things in life being a choice and being a "groove." So often, like a broken record, I replay all the brokenness and dwell there. Love the picture of your twins hanging onto the groove of delight and fun!
Yes, a broken record. I like to think of running my finger along the groove of one of those finger labyrinths, choosing to be mindful of the direction I take.
I found myself smiling as I read this post until I hit your final few sentences. They hit me in a way that I know all too well. I do the same thing and wonder why. I beat myself up for nothing. I live something that someone else brought up that I had long since forgotten and then it is all new again. Why, of why?
God is far more than these old tapes that play again and again and I lean on Him to remind me just Whose I am. I want to be like your children and repeat those things that bring joy and smiles.
I'm so glad it spoke to you, here's to more awareness and grace to choose our groove.
Oh, yes! Replaying the moments of joy and wonder sounds SO much healthier than following the natural inclination to rehash the trash of the day. Thank you, Kelly! P.S. I'm one of the Glory Writers, glad to have found your field of wild flowers!
Thanks so much for visiting!