I wanted to share an experience I had the other night...For Emma's 12th birthday we took her and two of her friends to see Disney's remake of The Lion King.
But first, let me introduce you to G-Man and T-Bone. Two of the most creative, imaginative and entertaining 12 year old boys I know (and I've had a lot of 12 year old boys visit over the years). If there was a poster child for the LOL acronym - they'd be it. Emma calls them the "muscle" and to look at them you'd see why. They are stocky boys, true. Compared to Emma, they are giants.
And they really are the muscle - 100%. These boys are growing up to be strong and powerful men. That strength & power comes from the content of their hearts.
Let me side track and tell a story.
Several months ago there was an incident at the Elementary School. During recess, a gopher made the fatal mistake of popping up on the playground. A group of children spotted said gopher and (as children sometime do) forgetting how they are made up of light, love & life, began to brutalize the poor creature. Needless to say, teachers were involved, an assembly was called, and values were reinforced.
What impressed me beyond measure were the reactions from G-man & T-bone. Although they did not actually witness the assault, these gentle giants were moved to tears by the thought of the brutality. They spoke of how they would have saved the gopher if they only could have been there.
Sometimes parents worry about the friends their children make. I do not. I can see Emma has chosen the finest.
Let me talk about T-Bone - a gentle giant. And he is a giant. His volume & enthusiasm are equally as big as his heart. That is the best way to describe the boy. T-Bone is still very much a boy - which I think some people might not consider at first glance.
So, where was I? Back to the viewing of the Lion King and a quick description of the seating arrangements: Emma and the "muscle" sat at the end, about 3 seats down from us.
A family took the seats in front of us. I remember thinking how well put together everyone was - dressed for success & looking posh. If we leave the house with shoes on, I'm happy. Directly in front of me sat the handsome father & his stylish daughter (who looked to be the same age as my 18 year old son). I wondered what kind of focus & energy it must take to look so cultured & sophisticated.
By the time the movie started, our six-zillion-dollars worth of popcorn & drinks were nearly gone (a law almost as consistent as gravity) and I began to notice something. Those posh-people kept looking over their shoulders towards T-Bone. I then noticed how T-Bone, with nothing to put in his mouth, was reacting to whatever was happening in the movie. For me, his sheer unadulterated enthusiasm only enhanced the theater experience. The posh-people didn't seem as amused. The daughter kept whispering in her father's ear and he would turn and look in T-Bone's direction. Then came the snickering.
Snickering.
My heart sank and any admiration I had for them flew out all theater exits. I leaned forward in my seat, as close as I could shift. I was nearly resting my arms on the back of their seats, to block the man's view of my T-Bone. When I noticed him turn his head, I met his glance with a wry smile that said, "Hi father Jackal, I'm Mama Lion and those are my cubs. I think it's best you keep your glances on the screen 'cuz I'm about to bite someone's head off." And like the jackal he was, he turned back to the show and didn't snicker or pay much attention to my happy cub again.
For a brief moment, I wondered to myself if there were going to be words exchanged? Would he turn and tell me to get "that kid" out of the theater? I looked around to see if T-Bone was bothering anyone else. It didn't seem that he was bothering the family directly in front of him. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. I wondered if they were happy to leave the house with matching socks, like me (that's when I noticed my socks weren't matching).
I suddenly wished how when I intercepted the jackal's glance, my smile could have conveyed a different message. Like, how wonderful my little cubs are - how kind, warm and genuine they are. I wanted him to know how T-Bone's heart was bigger than his mouth (but barely). I wanted to tell that man & his daughter about the gopher. I wanted to reassure them that there are better things than social graces - much better things. I felt sad for him & his daughter. Some hearts are not as big. And if they only got to know my little cubs, I'm sure their hearts would grow.
We all have our flaws, don't we? Some of us aren't put together as well as others. We don't get our clothes, our hair, or our shoes right. Some of us are socially awkward- we laugh or talk a little too loud maybe. And some of us don't get our attitudes right either. Some of us are socially awkward in different ways - some of us snicker a little too quickly maybe.
Some of us haven't grown into the love, the light and the life within us. Some of us forget from time to time that it's there. Some of us haven't quite left the playground. But we are all growing. Some just faster than others.