January 29th

Jan. 29 - A Song Heard, A Soft Word, Light Seen
I am grateful for the song "Alive" by Young & Free.
I am grateful for the quiet voices people were speaking in while we were writing down our three gifts.
I am grateful for candlelight.

Today, I had a sweet memory. Mom, Camrynn, and I were talking about funny habits each of us kids had when we were little. One of mine was that I slept in Mom and Dad's bed until I was about four. When they tried to put me in my own room and bed, I would often get upset during the night and end up back in their bed. Except, I was only half awake so I did not remember them taking me to their room. I always thought that angels knew I was scared or something, and so they would carry me to there.

Today's story is an old one that I wrote for a school assignment back in July. The little boy is based off of my brother, William, and some of the movements I observed him do.

Seven-year old Joseph drummed his pencil on the island counter and then suddenly looked up at his mother.

          “What are we going to have for lunch, Mom?” he asked.

          “You just had a snack, dear. You need to stop thinking about food and focus on your math. Do you need me to read instructions to you?” Mrs. Lyles said, looking up from her cooking.

          “I don’t know what 8 + 5 is!” Joseph said, waving his arms in the air, and then dropping them with a thump on the counter. “I need help!”

          “Count on your fingers if you have to.”

          “Ok.”

          Joseph held up his hands and started counting by touching a finger to his nose for each number.

          “1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10. Mom, I ran out of fingers!” Joseph wailed.

          “Remember, you have to start over with one of your hands.” Mrs. Lyles responded patiently.

          “Oh yeah! 11-12-13. 13!”

          While Joseph was writing the answer down, he kicked his legs against the kitchen island.

          “Joseph, please stop kicking. Are you done with that problem now?” Mrs. Lyles said as she stood up from putting a dish in the oven.

          “Yes. Oh, this one is easy!”

          Joseph started writing the answer, but he was pushing the pencil too hard and the tip broke. He then dropped it onto his paper.

          “Ugh! I need to go get a new pencil.”

          “Go ahead.” Mrs. Lyles said.

          But instead of going straight to the other room to get a pencil, he walked over to a side-table in their living room where his toy fighter plane was sitting. He picked it up and made it fly around while making an engine noise.

          “Joseph,” Mrs. Lyles said in warning voice. “Put your plane down and go get your pencil. If you play with it again before your school is done then I will have to take it away.”

          “Yes ma’am!” Joseph said and quickly set down his plane. He continued to make the plane noise though, and then put his arms out like wings and made himself fly down the hallway.

          “Shrooooooooom! Vrooooom! Errrrrrgh!”

          He got his pencil and then skipped back. As he walked by the couch, he fell sideways on it and rolled along it till he fell to the floor. He rolled onto his back and made his hands start fighting each other, all the while making explosion sounds.

          “Joseph. Come sit down, please.” Mrs. Lyles said in a sing-song voice.

          When Joseph sat down, he dropped his pencil on the counter and purposefully let it roll off. He bent down sideways to get it but bent so far that he couldn’t get back up.

          “Mom! I’m stuck! Can you help me get up?” he cried.

          “Just a minute, let me dry my hands off.”

          Mrs. Lyles dried her hands, set down the towel, and then came over to Joseph. She picked him up completely off the stool and then put him down properly. She also got the pencil off the floor. She pulled up another stool and sat down next to Joseph.

          “Alright, good job, you finished this section. I’m going to read the next instructions now, so pay attention and put your knee down.”

          Joseph had pulled his knee up to his chest and was sucking on it but then slid it back down upon his mother’s command.

          “Good. Ok, this says ‘Color 3 ¼ of the squares,’” Mrs. Lyles said while pointing at the words with the pencil. She then handed Joseph the pencil and got back up. Joseph rested his head on his hand, started coloring, and began to kick the island once again.