It never ceases to amaze me how unique each person is.
It never ceases to continually amaze me how different children born forth from the same womb can be.
I shall always rejoice in the individual imprint that each child possesses.
That said, let me relay a Story of Individuality of one of my progeny.
My thirdsie, my younger son of two, third of four, has always had a distinctive mark upon him.
He was the one that challenged my patience as a mother, the one whose bent was a bit left of center. He was the one that wrote his own script amongst his siblings and caused me to shrug my shoulders when others would ask questions as to his own drummer kind of thinking.
It took me awhile to adjust to his own way but once this was accepted by his father and I, we grew to appreciate and enjoy his unique way.
This son eschewed the usual way. Not one to enjoy 'normal' childhood activities, I remember distinctly the day that I gave up on Little League and organized sports in general. He joined teams in junior high merely because his brother was involved in the same team and he was at an age where that was important. I know he would have gotten along quite nicely without the experience however. YS would beg me to remove him from AWANA and Sunday School. He would point out, rather accurately, that they were places of noise, i and organization that he, as a matter of fact, did not need. After informing him that he would have to attend our adult Sunday School class, sitting absolutely quiet without the entertainment of drawing or match box cars, he seemed rather pleased. Turns out, he enjoyed our class and was often raising his hand, answering questions, usually accurately. I knew then that his level of intellect might someday challenge my own and it looked like it might happen soon. He stood by as a toddler, listening to the home school instruction of his two older sibs while seemingly playing with the assorted super hero, G I Joe kinda figures. To my amazement, when the day came to begin him on phonics and number assignments, he was able to zoom ahead as he had heard it before and equipped with an audio modality, he was already entrenched in the basics.
This interesting young boy spent lots of hours reading encyclopedias. A fount of trivia knowledge began to build up and soon his conversations could broach the span of generations, completely able to speak well with most age groups. As a teeny guy, he would carry a large copy of Wind in the Willows around with him, stopping and perusing the book for hours. His love a books grew and expanded and currently the walls of his tiny cottage are covered in books.
Once he left us for college, we knew that he would probably experience it differently that others. This is a fearful and wonderful thing. We knew his bent could border on the dangerous so we spent many an hour praying for God's protective hand upon him. Once graduation was completed, he parked himself nearby while he considered his future. We observed him contemplate several different options and plans, all while keeping him close and relatively comfortable.
Over the last seven years as he contemplated, we had the pleasure of sharing his life as an young adult. We have shared many meals, long walks, evenings in the garden, watching the most interesting movies and sharing our ideologies and philosophies and political leanings Respectful and smart, he knew not to be forward about our differences since a home cooked meal and laundry service is something always handy to have near by. Many times I knew I was being played but it didn't really matter much - his company is just that lovely.
The time has come. YS has accepted a teaching job in another town and his time of launching has arrived.
It was his slow revelation of something that I have seen in him for a long time. Even when he chose a non teaching degree, I knew in my heart of hearts, that it wouldn't be long before he would see what he was designed to do. His enormous heart and generous spirit coupled with a vast knowledge encased in his no nonsense frame, has prepared him for the task of mentoring, teaching and caring for high school students in the important subject of literature. Unlocking doors of the mind and heart by teaching them the importance of reading and writing, will aid beyond the year that he will have them in his care.
As a mama of a nearly thirty year old man, I am over the moon that his time has come. As merely a mama who has had the most delightful companion/son so nearby, I would be a liar if I denied that he will be sorely missed.
I can only imagine where this journey will take him. He shall never get rich as a teacher, but I believe the richness will be in the hearts of the children that he inspires with his heart and his knowledge. Years from now, I can picture his students referring to sophomore year English, and that eclectic, fun (but stern) teacher that they had in Mr. Cory.
And my heart shall be blessed....
