Lessons From A Child

It was my son's 17th birthday yesterday. We celebrated by going to Dinosaur BBQ for dinner. While we gathered together to celebrate and feast, I looked across the table at my big beautiful son... where has the time gone? It was only yesterday he was the little four year old boy sitting in a car seat in the backseat of my car, teaching me one of the greatest lessons in my life when he asked me this question:
"Mom, when will the leaves come back on the trees so that they can make music again?"
Dumbfounded by this question I replied by asking this question:
"What do you mean baby?"
This is what my four year old musician son said:
"Mom, the trees are all bald headed now, they have no leaves. When the trees have leaves and the wind blows on them, they make music with their leaves... can't you hear their song?"

Of course, this response from my then four year old son, made me laugh cry. Mostly cry. I was so touched by his observation of the music and song that the leaves of a tree make. Oh how I wish my ears were opened to hear what he heard. This made me think.. like trees we go through seasons in our lives that may strip away our colorful music making leaves. We sit there bare, exposed and naked like a tree without it's leaves. Our branches are flailing in the cold wind of Winter... there is no sound, just movement. A dance of branches that dig down deep to the roots remembering the song of the season that brings leaves back to our branches.

So, my reply to my son was this:
"Son, the trees are dancing as they remember their leaf song. They hear it from deep down. If you just look you will see their branches moving to the beat of that familiar leaf song you hear."

He said:
"Mommy you are right! I see it!"
He began to hum softly the song he saw. The song he hears.

I looked through the rear view mirror at the little boy who hummed and dance along to a tree song.

...Today I sit across from this little boy who has become a man. A man who hums this same song today. Sparkling brown/green eyes and a smile that brightens up the room. My music man.

He taught me then and still teaches me every day since, to flail my branches and dance to the song that comes when His Spirit blows in my life. The colorful leaves may come and go but, the song in your heart,the song embedded way down deep into the roots of your being, this song will never fade away.