If you read my post last week about my friend, Tonya, you know that it has been a tough few days for our small town. This morning is Tonya's funeral. We dismissed school for the funeral, because most everyone from school will be attending the service.
Last Thursday night I got a Facebook message about Biscuit.....Tyler, our youngest son. It was the sweetest message we could have gotten from one of his teachers about the very sad day:
Just so you know, your sweet son let the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classes in prayer today on the playground. It was touching and heartfelt and very much needed when we, the teachers, were at a loss of words to help comfort our students. I comment MaKenna (our niece, Tyler's cousin) for organizing the prayer circle and for Tyler leading it. I was proud to be a part of it.
I got some other messages from this teacher saying he checked on her after school and the next morning to see if she was okay, and his homeroom teacher when he took a jar of money he had collected from us that was going to be given to Tonya's family.
Tyler knew how sad his teachers and friends were at school. He knew how sad I was, and has given me even more hugs and "I love you's" since last Thursday morning.
God knew how special little children were. That's why He tells us to be as little children. Sometimes we worry about how little children might handle something and want to shield them from the sad things, but just like in this sadness, the children comforted the adults.
Children are special, and yes, our Tyler (Biscuit) is special. He's always had a tender heart and a deep thinker, but also has a special gift of connecting with others - especially adults.
On Friday, our church family fed the junior high, high school, and faculty of our school. Tonya's children came to school that day. They wanted to. They needed to. As her two oldest came through the line, I told them I loved them. When the only daughter came through and I said that, she said, "I'm so glad you got to see her that night." She meant the night before she died, when I had gone out to their house. I said, "Me, too." We smiled at each other, but my heart inside was breaking for that sweet little girl who would miss her sweet momma.
Children are a gift from God. Let's not ever forget that. In fact, let's strive to be more like little children ourselves.
People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Luke 18:15-17
1 comment:
Wow, so hard - and mother's day weekend too. What a great thing for Tyler and Makenna to do.
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