My son, Cole, graduated from high school this past June, and he received many lovely gifts, but the one that warmed my heart was a simple card that he received from his sister, Isabel.
At first blush, one might see a re-purposed holiday card, but look closely: it’s actually a benediction. It’s a five-year-old girl’s way of bestowing a blessing on one of her favorite people in the world.
Isabel really loves some Cole. And I can honestly say, the feeling is mutual.
Once, while she was visiting, I asked my son to put out the garbage and recycle bins, and he headed for the door. “I want to help!” Isabel said. “No, honey, it’s garbage. Dirty.” “But I can help Cole!” she insisted. “Well, okay. You can be his helper,” I said. “You walk with him as he carries out the cans.”
And she did. Silently, scrupulously, she walked side-by-side with her brother as he carried one, two, three cans of garbage. It was impressive that she could match his loping teen-age stride, as he’s 6”3, and, at five-years-old, she’s considerably shorter. She walked exactly in his footsteps. If he stopped short, so did she. If he scratched his cheek, she did, too. My son noticed her doing this and I saw that he smiled ever so slightly. I was amazed that the kids putting out the garbage could almost move me to tears!
The nice thing is, as Isabel said so eloquently in the graduation card she wrote to Cole, they love each other, but they also like each other. That’s a big deal. You can’t force kids to enjoy each other’s company, even if they live in the same household, and these two live in different homes.
The graduation card may look like a Christmas card to most, but to me, it’s actually a gift card. What a gift to have kids in our lives! What a gift to have family that gets along so well! What a gift to see the ones you love making their own way in the world. Well, come to think of it… with all these gifts, maybe it is Christmas after all.
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September 13, 2016 at 2:15 am
calensariel
Ruth, that is so beautiful… And that kind of relationship between siblings is exactly what we were hoping for when we adopted Stef. We wanted Bran to have someone with him when we are gone. Wanted them to be close. But it seemed like after they graduated from high school they no longer lived in the same world. She became very legalistic in her faith; he left his desire to be a pastor behind and left the church altogether. They hardly had a good thing to say about each other. Then something changed. Stef found out the real world would never be black and white, and so did Bran. She loosened up about faith; he came back to church and is considering getting involved in a local pastor program. The thing that brought them together was Ethan, Liam, Caleb; and Lydia, Stef’s kids. It was nothing shy of a Christmas gift, too. You’re so lucky that your kids are that close. Especially with such a wide age gap. Lovely post.
September 13, 2016 at 3:59 am
rhcwilliams
Thanks, Lady Calen. It’s nice that they get along! It’s interesting how your Stef and Bran had differing viewpoints for a time, and now are closer. That would make a good post on your blog! Maybe that’s why God created kids and grandkids… to give us stories to tell! 🙂
September 13, 2016 at 4:07 am
calensariel
Maybe someday I’ll tell that story. Everything is still gelling for them right now. I envy the closeness of your kids. 🙂
September 13, 2016 at 3:02 pm
Visionariekind
cheers to your son graduating. A beautiful story, made me smile warms the heart 🙂
September 13, 2016 at 4:42 pm
rhcwilliams
Thanks, Krissy! Those two kids are really sweet together. And that card just sent me over the moon! 🙂