Tiny, but Mighty Voices
If you’re feeling blue – try painting yourself a different color. – Hannah Cheatem, Age 8
Recently, I was at the dentist, and I heard this little tiny voice coming down the hallway. The hygienist that was cleaning my teeth, obviously, couldn’t ignore my giggle, and said, “I just love little voices.” In that instant we were connected at the heart. I asked her if she had any little ones, to which she pointed at a picture of a little girl, and said, “yes, she is still very little and just babbles for now, but I can’t wait to hear what her voice will really sound like.”
I love it when people want to talk to me about children, any children, always have. This was the first time with this hygienist, she knew very little about me. However, she knew my heart leapt with joy at the sound of little voices and big clomping pitter patters coming down the hallway of the small office.
Lucy seemed like she was trying to say something, but she definitely made lots of noises, some of which seemed to scare her. Many that were funny. Few that I’d rather not remember. But I wonder this same thing, don’t we all long to know what it will be like to hear our children say Mom or Dad? What they will call their grandparents? Their siblings and/or cousins? I know what it sounds like for her grandparents and cousins to say her name, but her to say theirs, nothing. (Although we do have a video of one night, and it sure sounds like she is crying SWINGIEEEEE. My mom’s grandparent name)
Some of my most heart-lifting, soul healing times, come when silence is broken by children. It can be at the dentist office, doctors office, walking down a sidewalk, in a restaurant, on tv, on the phone, video, social media. It literally never fails! From coos to babble to toddler talk decoding to my niece and nephew catching me up on life, I soak it in. My favorite moments are when adults are completely engaged and having a conversation, no matter what the subject. Lots of good conversations had on the swing above with “Swingie.” Try to capture these grandparent moments on video or audio, these are the things that will be treasured for many years.
When I was younger, I kept a church small group. The parents would do their small group study, and I would keep the kids, twelve to be exact. I also worked at multiple churches keeping groups of kids during different studies. I worked for MOPS for a couple of years, and also for individual families. Children are where my heart will always be. I LOVED keeping kids.
Disclaimer: not to poo-poo what I do now, because it is what Jesus has led me to do for such a time as this, and my health couldn’t keep up with my teens and twenties now.
All the children I kept are grown now, and some even having children of their own! I am loving watching them become parents. A positive to social media, is that I can keep up with most of them. Some I have lost touch with that I would really love to know where they are! So if you remember Miss Anna, and you are reading this- send me an email 😊
The majority of the kids I did keep, I started keeping them somewhere in between the babble and the toddler talk. What is so special about this time is personality bursts forth. Do they react with words or sounds? Are they going to be the one who speaks up or the one who stays quiet? Will they react to being alone or being crowded? When they get hurt, will they say it and confide in someone safe, or will they keep it to themselves and hold it in until they just can’t anymore? Are they more of the reporter or the peacemaker of the playground?
And the truth is, all the above is gleaned and then applied by what they see and observe of the adults around them. One of the bigger lessons I have learned from all children is this: admit that you will make mistakes, some you will see right away and some you may not, but that you will always love them the same, no matter what. Nothing ever changes your love for them – absolutely nothing. This goes for every child, not just your children. The boundaries that you define may be different, but the love for them never changes.
I have kids pop up in my mind all the time, their faces, their names, I take them right to Jesus. He’s the one who held them then, and He holds them now.
As always, I will encourage you to pause, listen to those little, tiny voices- they may just have what you need in the moment, even if the words don’t make sense, the sound may breakthrough something you didn’t even know was there.
Life Book of the Week: Padapillo, by Valerie James Abbott. I discovered this book in a little local bookstore in VA. The link to the author’s website is below:
