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| Numbers 6:24-26 |
A month or so ago Steve and I decided we should have a special blessing "ceremony" for our kids in which we would pray for them individually and tell them all the reasons why we love them. Last week we decided to first have the kids take turns being the special person at dinner time. I chose Seth to take the first turn, and he was so excited about it! After praying a blessing over him and the meal, each family member took a few minutes to tell Seth what we love about him. Among other things, we all mentioned his sweet spirit, smart ideas, and slapstick humor. His love for reading is unparalleled in our home. His ability to make anything into a plane, spaceship, or gun is uncanny. Sarah wished Seth was a glass of water so she could drink him. Not sure what that means exactly, but it was cute. You should have seen the glow on Seth's face while he received his blessing. It lit up the room.
Next was Sarah's turn. She gobbled up all the positive attention she received from her parents and siblings, and she acted out every compliment showered upon her. In our home, Sarah is known for her great dancing, lovely singing of her unique songs, super pretending skills, and her incredible snuggle-ability. Caleb had quite a bit to say about Sarah, while Seth thought up two things. (He's a little less verbal than some members of our family... and she's a bit of a five-years-younger thorny thorn for him these days.) Still, Sarah felt loved. You could tell by the sweet smile and sparkly eyes.
Last night was Caleb's turn. He had been waiting and waiting... very patiently... to hear the word treasures we all had for him. His spirit soared as we praised him for his gifts of comedy and storytelling, applauded his genius building skills, and admired his artistic ability. He also reenacted every compliment he received. Unlike Sarah's, however, his interpretations were more abstract... and hilarious. After a slow start, Seth's praise of Caleb was virtually unstoppable. Literally. Sarah was very focused on his cool clothing... and occasional lack thereof. You know boys. You just can't keep 'em dressed for very long.
I can see us easily getting addicted to this blessing our children thing. Seeing their faces light up and knowing their little hearts are flying high with love, acceptance, and admiration is such an amazing experience for a parent.
The kids want Steve and me to have turns, and it's important to them that we do, so our turns will be this week. We're both looking forward to receiving our "special blessings" from them... to allow them to feed our spirits as we have fed theirs. Just thinking about our blessing times makes me want to go scrunch up and kiss their beautiful little munchkin faces. Guess I'll go do that now. Carpe diem.
