Thank God for the simple Blessings

Today was not an overly active or taxing day and that is a good thing!  While we were in the hotel pool a family came by pushing their physically impaired son in a wheel chair.  The young man's legs, who appeared to be about 11 years old, were frantically moving up and down.  You could see that he was unable to sustain his own weight or control his limbs as most of us are able to.  While this was evident, it was also evident how excited he was at the prospect of somehow getting into the pool.

I wondered where/how they would let him play in the pool so I shyly followed the unfolding events as the father unstrapped his son from the reclined wheel chair.  As the father gently picked him up, his legs  and arms begin to move wildly as he knew it would only be moments before he was in the water.  He was so excited he let out a yelp, similar to a 6 month old child.

While the father cautiously carried his son to the water, you could see the wear and tear on his face from the years of having to care for a physically disabled child.  When they entered the water, the father placed the son in the formation of a back stroke and took great care to ensure his head was well above the water line.  The son continued to wildly/rapidly move his limbs in patternless motions.

I could not help but smile and enjoy the pure joy he was having by simply being in the water.  This allowed me moments of introspection as I had just climbed out of the pool from playing with my brother, sons and nephew.  Not only was this young man smiling but all of the kids in the pool were smiling.  It's Christmas I thought and no child seems to be concerned with the presents they did or did not get.  Then it hit me, a line in a song from years past, "...it's not the presents but the presence in the essence of being there..."  That was the key to all of these kids joy I thought, they all had someone there with them playing, interacting and loving them.  I believe this is the simple yet powerful secret to the joy I witnessed with the young man in the wheel chair.  

You see, he needed his father to carry him through this dangerous time of being in the water for he could not swim nor fend for himself but with the strength of his father, he could swim and play like everyone else.  He had no worries that his father could not handle the task placed before them, he simply trusted and enjoyed the experience although danger was all around him.

Psalms 9:10 says, "Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."

Simply trust the Father, accept the Blessings and enjoy the experience though danger surrounds you.

Blessings,

-d