Aidan's Cold

You're all going to have to use your imagination to fill in the cracks in this post. Some experiences just don't translate well into print, but I'll do my best.

Aidan has been feeling a bit under the weather lately. Adrian and I are convinced that we gave him our colds, which were miserable enough for us, let alone for a 3 year-old. As with any small child (or any of us, truth be told), Aidan's health dictates his emotions, which consisted yesterday of fear, sadness, and dissatisfaction.

Zach, Aidan, and I were sitting at the dinner table last night. Sitting upright by himself on a chair and trying to eat was a bit much for Aidan, so, after 5 or 10 minutes, he started complaining that he was cold and wanted to go lie down. But the fun conversation that Zach and I were having was too much for him to abandon completely, so he took his blankie and lay down on the living room floor near the dining room, in a spot where he could still hear us. At a pause in the conversation, he started whining for his mommy, so I let him come sit on my lap. Once he was settled, Zach said, "My friend from school knows one of our church songs." I asked him which one, and he began singing exuberantly, pumping his little fist in the air: "Oh no, you never let go, through the calm and through the storm...". Rather than correct him for this breach of manners, I decided to join in, and together we sang the rest of the song. Then Aidan joined in. He didn't know any of the words, so his singing sounded something like, "Oh no, da da da da da...", but he definitely caught the song's meaning, smiling broadly when I changed the last phrase to "Lord, you never let go of Aidan".

We could debate the validity of that last statement for the rest of our lives, or we could have faith that God holds Aidan and Zach in the very palms of His hands and will save them one day. I'll choose the latter. All I know is that there was something lovely about watching a sick little boy, who had spent the better part of the last 3 days whining, begin to grasp the fact that God is taking care of him. He sang and listened to that song as if it had to be true, as if it was the most logical thing in the world, with no feasible alternative. Oh, that we could all grasp this lesson with such childlike faith. Oh, that I could.