This blog is a tribute to my godson who turned 17 years old this week.
One day several years ago when my godson was about seven years old, I happen to be visiting his family's home. It was around dinner time and his mother had just cooked dinner. When my godson was small, I was fortunate enough to be able to spend a lot of time with my the family and I often ate dinner with them. I'm very big on families sitting around the dinner table and eating together because that's how I was raised.
While his mother put the fininshing touches on the food, I called the three children, my godson has a younger brother and sister, to the table. Well, my godson did not come to the table, so I called him again. He still did not come. Finally, I went to see what he was doing that was so important that he could not come to dinner. Needless to say, I was a little vexed by this time. AJ (I don't call him that but he likes this name) was caught up in some cartoon that happen to be the rave at that time. When I got downstairs where he was, I immediately began scolding him. This was a major incident between us because I never raised my voice with my friends' children and...I have only spanked AJ once in his whole life. I am somewhat against corporal punishment.
Anyway I yelled at AJ and told him to come to the dinner table. I let him know that watching a cartoon was not as important as having dinner with his family. I won the argument that day probably because I was bigger than he. But, he was fired up and we both knew it. We were both mad.
The next day, I had the occasion to see AJ again because his mother asked me to meet him when he got off the school bus. As he came running off the bus, he said some words that have stuck with me for several years. He said, "I remember what happen yesterday, but I'm not mad at you anymore." I smiled and replied, "Oh, you're not? He said, "No", while shaking his head.
How quick AJ was to forgive me was touching. Isn't it amazing how quick kids can forgive and absolve wrongdoing? This reminds me of the Kevin Levar song, "A Heart That Forgives". Here is a verse:
I want a heart that forgives A heart full of love One with compassion just like yours above One that over comes evil with goodness and love Like it never happened, never holding a grudge I want a heart that forgives that lives and lets lives One that keeps loveing over and over again One that men can’t offend Cuz your word is deep within One that loves without price like you lord Jesus Christ
God bless you for this blog, because I've been struggling off and on with this. I like you last name it appears to be a Western African name from the Yoruba people.
Thursday, January 14th 2010 at 10:47AM
Jen Fad
