When
my son Ryan was four years old he wanted just one thing for Christmas…
a “Big Foot.” At first I didn’t know what he meant… immediately a
seven-foot hairy monster wandering in the mountains came to mind, but I
soon discovered that he was thinking about a different kind of “Big Foot.”
He was referring to a miniature battery-operated truck that a kid can climb
into and actually drive (slowly, very – very slowly). Now a “Big
Foot” was a mighty tall order ‘cause they didn’t come cheap, but it was
the one and only thing he asked for and I couldn’t resist. Besides,
it was a darling little truck (in a truck sort of way) and he’d look so
cute driving it. What’s a Mom to do?
Well,
long story short – Ryan’s little truck was waiting for him when he bounced
down the stairs that Christmas morning. He jumped right in and seemed
like a natural behind the wheel. The truck had a plastic key and
when he turned it in the ignition it made all kinds of revving’ up sounds.
He drove that truck from one end of our neighborhood to the other, and
around and around our yard… bumping into the swing set from time to time.
But as Ryan got older, he drove that little truck less and less until one
day it found a final resting place in the garage…
This
month I’ve been busy packing. We’re moving to my hometown – Binghamton,
New York. That’s a long way from Texas, but when you’re packing to
move it doesn’t seem to matter if you’re packing to move a couple of blocks
away or half way across the U.S. – it still requires the same effort.
With each item in my household I have to decide on one of the following:
keep, toss or give away. That’s quite a chore, ‘cause there’s lots
of stuff in my house. Slowly I made my way from closet to closet
then ventured into the garage. Yikes – the garage! I just wanted
to close the door again and pretend I didn’t see the stuff lurking there.
Everything in the garage seemed to be screaming “pack me, pack me!”
Will this job never end?
After
snacking on some Honeycomb cereal (straight from the box), the sugar gave
me an energy boost so I decided to tackle the garage after all. I
pulled up my sleeves and got to work. I sifted through Christmas
decorations, sports equipment and camping stuff. I shuffled boxes
here, boxes there, boxes, boxes everywhere! That’s when I saw it…
Ryan’s little Big Foot. Lifting one last box from its hood I stood
back looking at this dearly loved toy. It was covered in dust, but
aside from the decals being slightly tattered, overall it looked pretty
good. I brushed away some dust bunnies from the tiny seat and reached
over and turned the key in the ignition. To my surprise it started
up… after years in a garage, it still made revvin’ up noises.
I stood
there in the garage, covered with packing grime, and the tears began to
fall. At the sound of the “Big Foot” revving up, in my mind I could
see my little boy, his baby-teeth smile and dimpled cheeks, giggling and
laughing as he drove along. At the sound of the “Big Foot” revving
up, my heart ached at how quickly the years have gone by and how much I
wish I could turn back the clock and re-live some of those precious moments
with my children. At the sound of the “Big Foot” revving up, I was
reminded to cherish these last “kid” years as they enter into adulthood
and to take the time to play with them more, to laugh and smile more and
to worry less. At the sound of the “Big Foot” revving up…
Father
God,
Thank
you for the “Big Foot” noises in life… the sounds that wake us from our
sleep, begging us to pay attention. Please slow down the clock that
ticks so swiftly. Thank you for blessing me with children.
Help me to learn from them. They love so deeply, laugh so freely
and trust so completely. Oh Lord, that I would be more like them.
Amen.
Patty
