Saturday, May 24, 2008

Friday's Fond Memory
so similar
x
My grandma showed me this picture this week. It is my mom playing with her little brother, Chris [you will find that my family has a glut of the name Chris, if in doubt call out Chris at a family function, at least two or three will answer you]. While this picture is totally adorable and warrants personalized commentary (namely, love the stroller with the uncomfortable looking seat and metal push bars, Lord help if you if you leave that in the sun for more than two minutes - also, my mom's outfit is totally hip and those shorts are now for sale at J.Crew for $49.99). But, honestly, what stuck out to me, is that whether it is 1970 or 2008 or 08 A.D., babies and children all look the same - before 'life' takes over that is. My mom's slender legs had not yet been scarred by a head-on collision with a semi-truck, wrinkles from laughs are yet on the horizon, as are the ones from tears. My uncles little toes are curled up just like my girls' did, his face of bewilderment matches every baby made to wear silly sunglasses/hat/outfit. Point being, the beauty of children is how much they have in common, both in physical design and innocence of understanding. Maybe when Jesus said (Matthew 18:3) that we must become like little children to enter the kingdom of Heaven he had curled up baby toes and the beautiful smile of a 10-year-old in mind. By the time we reach adulthood we have become very aware of all of our differences. Be it skin color, religion, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, clothing, extra curricular activities, political affiliation, driving skills, education, accent, the list goes on. Perhaps we need to step back for a minute and focus on the similarities we share. I am beginning to believe we will find them in a greater abundance than any difference...afterall, we all started with a baffled look and curled little toes.

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