My son the story teller

Josh is pretty good at miming. You have to be when you can't talk. I did not realize just how good he was until this week. We went to watch the fireworks. We waited for 2 hours for them to start. By that time my son just knew we were at a park with his cousin and that was enough for him.

When the fireworks started he was so excited. He was yelling and cheering. You know the cheesy "Oooo"s and "Ahhhh"s? It can be pretty cute when it is real. He began turning around, hitting my leg (and anyone else in reach) and pointing in awe at the lit up sky. You could almost hear him say, "Are you seeing this?" It was like he thought we just happened to be sitting in a park in the dark and suddenly out of nowhere the sky started to explode and he wants to make sure we are all aware of the phenomenon happening before us.

Halfway through he couldn't help himself. He stood and turned to me. Starting with his hand near his waist he made the "shhhh!" rocket sound and brought his hand to the sky then down in front of him. Holding both arms open wide he looked at me quietly for a beat or two then he clapped his hands together and pulled his hands apart again.

It was amazing. Without saying a word he was telling me about what was happening so well there was no wondering. Anyone would know what he was saying. And the look on his face would tell you just how he felt about it. Elated. So excited he knew he couldn't hold it in any longer, he needed to tell someone about the miracle he was witnessing.

I had to remind him that the fireworks were still happening. "You can tell me about it later but first you need to watch it." I wanted to be selfish. I wanted him to tell me about it all night. I felt like I was witnessing a miracle too. Here is a child who can't say more than a handful of words most of which are two letter words, and he is telling a story. It reminds me of a movie we watched in my high school sign language class of two deaf people fighting. They use such passion in their motions that you can't mistake what they are saying. It was awesome.

You have been weighed...

Today Knight's Tale was on TV. I have loved this movie since the first time I watched it. I think I may have loved it even more this time though. I am sure everyone has had a time that they connected with a truth so deeply they knew they would never forget it, whether it was in a religious class, school class, a talk with your parents/friends or any other of the possible learning opportunities. I was recently in a women's religious meeting where they used Knight's Tale as a teaching tool.

We were all asked to bring our purses, whether they be a simple wallet we carry with us or a huge purse/diaper bag. During the mingling we were told to weigh and measure our purses and write the numbers down on a clip board. There was a lot of laughing and comparing.

The speaker opened with what she observed. We had checked our numbers with other numbers already written. We had commented half anxiously if our measurements were out of the "ordinary". We had complimented other's bags. Sometimes we berated or downplayed our own bags.

Then she told the outline of the movie A Knight's Tale. She commented on how we have people who tell us in many ways, "You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting." You know the people. You know that feeling. Maybe your bag is too big, too small, too light, too heavy. In whatever way, they say you are not enough.

We do this to each other, we do this to ourselves. Even as we become aware of this we will never fully escape it because it surrounds us. I see it in magazines, those perfect thighs that no human could possibly possess but I know I need to be beautiful. I see it in strangers faces when they disapprove of my son. I tell it to myself when I realize it has been almost a week and I haven't cooked a decent meal.

But in the movie, William does not believe this. He knows, deep in his heart, that he is enough. He makes mistakes, he doesn't always win, but he never doubts his ability to change his stars. He is not just some poor thatcher's son. He is someone more than that. He doesn't run when he is found out even when his friends plead with him to do so. He only replies, "I am a knight. I will not run." He never doubts that he is a knight. He knows it in his heart.

If you know the movie you will also know that he is saved by Prince Edward. Edward says that he has found that William is from noble decent.

We too come from noble decent. We can't forget it.

I know some people would disagree with the noble decent part. But I can't leave it out. I have heard stories of people who get a little religious with their blog and get crap for it. In reality though, who really reads this anyway? This is for me. And I need to remember it. I need to remember when I feel as though I am found "wanting" that I am a child of God.