Yesterday while I was washing the dishes I felt a tug on my jeans. I looked down and there was my toddler boy smiling up.
But he wasn’t smiling at me. He was smiling past me. His eyes were alive with delight as he looked through the kitchen window.
I stopped the water and crouched down at his level, almost sitting on the floor, to see what he saw through the window.
It was blue sky. He was smiling at the beautiful blue sky.
It reminded me of another little boy who used to look up and smile at nothing in particular … his big brother.
When DJ was a baby he was happy … but loud.
On Sundays at Mass I would sit in the back of the chapel and physically shrink with every sound that came out of his mouth, even though they were usually sounds of delight. He looked up and around and talked to everyone and to everything in the air above him. DJ looked up at the ceiling of the chapel, happily babbling.
I told our priest and our parish coordinator that I was finding going to Mass with my infant a struggle. I didn’t want to disturb the other parishioners, but I couldn’t find away to keep DJ quiet.
And our priest told me something I’ll never forget. He said, “Maybe he’s singing with the angels. We don’t know what babies see, so young and innocent. Maybe he sees and hears the angels here in the sanctuary celebrating with us. Don’t be so quick to rush him to be quiet. Take a minute and look up with him when he’s making a joyful noise.”
I remembered the priest’s words while I was crouched on the kitchen floor with DJ’s brother smiling and looking up at the blue sky.
Maybe he was smiling at angels.
And it made me ache to look up more often.
People tell you all the time to look up. Look up from this head down adult life, take a break from the cell phone, from the keyboard, from the broom, from the laundry basket, from the sink and look up to be a part of the moment around you.
People tell you all the time to remember what it’s like to be a child. Don’t forget what it’s like to live looking up at the big world around you. Don’t forget what it’s like to be small and full of awe at the world where everything is at least three feet taller than you.
But don’t forget when you’re looking up, enjoying the moment around you, and remembering what it’s like to be small and full of awe, to include the angels. Include God and take a minute to celebrate. Because surely there are angels celebrating every minute of every day, just like there are children and babies looking up and smiling every minute of every day.
Just look up and smile and celebrate.
Tags: God






















