I sat and watched my baby as he played around in the water of his bath this morning, the novelty and joy of water evident in his little body. I wondered at what it was that was so captivating about watching a new little baby.
From the time they are born these little ones are so fascinating to me, especially as I watch them explore the world around them. What is it about them? I mused.
Perhaps, came the thought, it is because you are watching a God in embryo and your spirit senses the majesty and wonder that it is to watch a divine being unfold.
Perhaps it is the miracle that a living, self-generating, growing being can emerge and develop from two cells, one from your husband, one from you, coupled with that spark of the divine spirit that comes from heaven.
Perhaps it is the wonder of creation.
This little one will grow and develop in our home for many years. As my thoughts then turned to my oldest son, my Kel, and how this is his first morning waking up at the MTC, my thought turned to excitement:
-what will he do?
-what will he eat?
-how will it be for him?
"I hope he slept well," I murmured, thinking of his difficulty sleeping some nights. And then I paused. What if sleeping poorly is part of the test? Would I take that growth from him?
He is on stage, now, I realized. It is his turn to perform.
The years of rehearsal and practice up until now have just been the prep for his time on stage. I have directed many a play and am very familiar with that feeling of doing all you can to get an actor or actors ready and then having to stand back and let go. You can do nothing but support and move scenery from the sidelines. In fact, the more you interfere, the less effective, the less meaningful the production. It is all them. The greatness of a production when seen by an audience is communicated through the actors. True, all the crew and components of a production, from stage manager to chair setter-upper are helpful to make it as good as possible, but the actual meaningful art that we all come to see now completely rests in the hands of the actors.
And it is now Tova and Kel's turn to be on stage, to perform, to be doing their life's work.
Yes, they have been doing it to a degree over the years but never with this freedom and autonomy. It makes me want to be ready to encourage my other young actors in the home to leave and perform when the time is correct.
I am so excited to see how the drama unfolds, the mystery, the suspense, the tragedy, the comedy...and how they make their parts and their story their own, as every good actor does.
From the time they are born these little ones are so fascinating to me, especially as I watch them explore the world around them. What is it about them? I mused.
Perhaps, came the thought, it is because you are watching a God in embryo and your spirit senses the majesty and wonder that it is to watch a divine being unfold.Perhaps it is the miracle that a living, self-generating, growing being can emerge and develop from two cells, one from your husband, one from you, coupled with that spark of the divine spirit that comes from heaven.
Perhaps it is the wonder of creation.
This little one will grow and develop in our home for many years. As my thoughts then turned to my oldest son, my Kel, and how this is his first morning waking up at the MTC, my thought turned to excitement:
-what will he do?
-what will he eat?
-how will it be for him?
"I hope he slept well," I murmured, thinking of his difficulty sleeping some nights. And then I paused. What if sleeping poorly is part of the test? Would I take that growth from him?
He is on stage, now, I realized. It is his turn to perform.
The years of rehearsal and practice up until now have just been the prep for his time on stage. I have directed many a play and am very familiar with that feeling of doing all you can to get an actor or actors ready and then having to stand back and let go. You can do nothing but support and move scenery from the sidelines. In fact, the more you interfere, the less effective, the less meaningful the production. It is all them. The greatness of a production when seen by an audience is communicated through the actors. True, all the crew and components of a production, from stage manager to chair setter-upper are helpful to make it as good as possible, but the actual meaningful art that we all come to see now completely rests in the hands of the actors.
And it is now Tova and Kel's turn to be on stage, to perform, to be doing their life's work.Yes, they have been doing it to a degree over the years but never with this freedom and autonomy. It makes me want to be ready to encourage my other young actors in the home to leave and perform when the time is correct.
I am so excited to see how the drama unfolds, the mystery, the suspense, the tragedy, the comedy...and how they make their parts and their story their own, as every good actor does.
As I have watched you grow and find your wings. It is an honor to be a parent and see so many wonderful things done by your children. Life is an adventure and learning experience. I think you're living it to its fullest! Love you!
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