Memoir #50 Firsts

Part of the magic of doing foster care is opening a child’s world up and I can’t begin to describe how choked up I have gotten in the last month over how many “firsts” James has experienced.

For example, we went to a Mexican restaurant for my parents’ 30th wedding anniversary and when we finished eating he asked, where do we take the plates?  Do those guys come and get them?  I thought this was an odd line of questioning and so I asked him, have you ever been to a restaurant before?  No was his answer.  I couldn’t believe it.  He had never been to a restaurant before in his entire 6, almost 7 years of life.  The best part is, he LOVED it.  He talked about it for days and asked us when can we go back to a restaurant again?  He cannot wait! 

For Spring Break week he went to another foster family’s house during the day and they took him bowling one afternoon.  On the ride home he said, “Isn’t it so special how I got to go bowling for the first time ever today?”  I looked back in the rearview mirror at his smiling face and with tears in my eyes I just said “yes…it is really special”.  Then he adds, “And I did awesome too, the lady said so!”

I finally take him to get his hair cut at a local salon.  He tells the lady he has never been to get his haircut at a salon before and again he just enjoyed it thoroughly.  After it was done he asked me, “When my hair grows long again can we go back and get it cut here again?”  I said, “yes sir…that is how it works!”

And then we get home yesterday and my neighbor guy is holding up a shiny red bicycle that he fixed up, put air in the tires and said “well are you going to come over here and get it or what?”  I am just amazed…they went and got him a bike!!!  Incredible!  So when we get home I tell him he can ride it for a minute and I say you will have to go and tell Mr. Craig thank you when you see him.  Next thing I know he tares off into their garage and is knocking on their door saying “thank you, thank you, thank you!”  I meant tomorrow or something haha but he couldn’t wait!

It’s so easy to take things for granted but for James…even the little things are gifts.

God grant me the ability to see through the eyes of children…to have even a glimpse of their world view would be incredible.