Olympic Training Starts Young

Today Kenny, all two and a half feet of him, was able to climb out of his carseat and slide down out of our gigantic Hummer3 with barely an assist from me. You see, I am still under promise not to lift him and I had a Bible study class I really wanted to go to this morning, and it all rested on whether or not we could get in and out of the car without tearing any more of my fragile abdominal muscles.

And not only was my little athlete able to get himself out of the car with minimal assistance, but he held hands tightly and walked all the way across the parking lot, into the church and down the hall to his classroom like a little man on parade. I could tell that he was genuinely proud of himself with the trust I placed in him. And as wonders never cease, when we got to his classroom (where there are usually a few sniffles and final attempts to convince me not to leave him), he marched right in and yelled, “Play!” and then remembered to glance back at me and smile and wave bye-bye. It was so perfect, I almost couldn’t believe it. And the fact that I was able to sit in a circle of sweet friends and listen and talk and share was exactly what I needed this morning. Sitting there, I could feel some of the weariness slide away and my mind quiet down a little.

By the time we got home (and after Kenny’s most impressive vault into the gargantuan vehicle), had lunch and left for our walk, I actually felt as peaceful as I have in a long time. I even caught myself spontaneously smiling a few times. I even found myself daydreaming about going home to Maryland and seeing the herons on our dock and the ducks in the yard and watching the fish jump as the sun sets.

So I’ll count today a triumph, and look forward to tomorrow in the hope that this little family is on our way back to the precious state of normal. Thank God for friends, for my adaptable little olympian and for moments when I know that everything is ok.