Worship and the Angelman Girl

Today contained a couple of really big, important questions for Lily.

Lately (despite the fact that it's not Christmas), we've been singing this song randomly because it's just so catchy - Hush, There's a Baby.  (Be careful - if you click that link it WILL be stuck in your head all day/week!)

So this afternoon Lily was singing it as she played around the house, and then came the question, "Mom, what does worship mean?"

...Uh... 

Thankfully I was brushing my teeth so through the sudsy toothpaste and brush I mumbled, "Mmmmm mm mmmmm." Which she understood meant "just a minute."  I took my time finishing up, trying to figure out what to say.

Maybe she didn't really say what I thought she said?  "Lily, what did you ask?"

"What does worship mean?"

"Worship?"

"Yes."

"Oh.  ...Well...  Worship is how we show God that we love Him.  Like when we pray to Him or sing songs to Him.  He likes that, that's how we show we love him.  That's worship."

 Now, if you dared to listen to the song, you'll know that the line is, "Worship with the wise men.  Bow right down..."  So Lily responded...

"The wise men brought Jesus gifts, so that's how we worship?"

"Yes, we worship God when we bring him gifts."

"So we worship our friends when we bring them gifts?"

...Uh...

"No...  We only worship God.  But we do show our friends we love them by giving them gifts.  Worship is like praying or singing or giving gifts to God, but only to God."

"Only to God and Jesus?"

"Yes."

"Only to people in Heaven?"

"No...  Uncle Chet is in Heaven, but we don't worship him.  We only worship God and Jesus."

"Oh.  Ok!"

Lily is 4, and her little mind is amazing!  She takes things in, processes, wants to understand, asks questions, and has the ability to grasp concepts far beyond what I anticipate she can.

We shouldn't underestimate our children - they are sharp, perceptive, intuitive, but they need direction.  Chase often says, "Kids are good observers, but they're terrible interpreters."  Kids notice what happens around them, but they don't always understand what's really going on.  They need adults to patiently take time to explain, answer questions, and help them learn to interpret the world around them.

This evening was the perfect example...

We went to the pancake feed at the elementary where I work.  Many of the families there had kids Lily's age - all of her little friends were there - and there was about 10 of them (ranging in age from 2 to 6) running the length of the gym all in a herd - back and forth, back and forth.  (Thank goodness for plenty of space to run!  These kids have been cooped up inside because of the cold weather for far too long!!!)

My conversation with some other moms was interrupted when Lily came up and tapped on my leg.

"Mom, there's a girl over there who just watches us run.  She just laughs and watches us play."

I looked over to where the kids were playing, and there was a girl in her late teens watching the kids.  But this girl isn't a normal teen - she has Angelman Syndrome, a genetic disorder making her function more like a baby who has just learned to walk than the teenager she is.  This girl is well-known in our community and extremely joyful - always happy.  And she was having a ball watching the kids run.

"Lily, that girl just likes to watch you run.  You can just keep running and she'll enjoy it.  Her mom is over by her, so she shouldn't bother you, but she'll really like to watch you play."

"Should I ask her to play with us?"

"You can, but I think she probably just really likes to watch you run."

Lily took a moment to consider, then headed back over to be with her friends.  I knew we'd be talking about this before bed when we got home, so before we left the pancake feed I made my way over to the mother of the Angelman girl.

The mom dove right in, "She is loving watching the little kids play.  The kids were all at one end here kind of confused about my daughter, so I just told them that she has Angelman Syndrome.  She can't talk, but she loves to laugh and watch them play.  I told them that we don't know why, but that God made her this way..."

We talked for a while and the evening went on.  We came home and as Chase was getting Lily and Connor into their jammies, I was feeding Spencer and sitting near the baby monitor.

Here is a bit of what I heard through the monitor, "Dad, she only laughs now, but she'll talk in Heaven!"

Tears welled in my eyes.  Can you imgaine?  She will talk.

What would that be like as a parent to care for 20, 30, 50 years for your child and then after all those years to hear them speak?  What a glorious, marvelous, indescribable day it will be!

As I watch my children take in and process the world around them, I see the need to help them establish a solid framework within which they can categorize, process, and store information.  They need to be taught good and bad - worshiping God is good, being kind to people who aren't like us is good.

These little everyday experiences piled one on top of another on top of another are what will eventually make the woman who will be my Lily.  I am privileged to walk these days with her.  May I always speak truth to her and blessings over her and all my children.