I have often noticed that babies seem to be aware of some presence that I do not see. I remember how, when Jane was a few months old, her eyes would move across a room as though following someone who was moving through the space. Or sometimes, she would smile or break into tiny laughter as though someone were playing with her. Or sometimes, she would look like she was listening to some soothing melody. Still untouched by the world, I think she is still keenly aware of the angels that accompanied her into the world and of the place from where she came.
As we grow older, we somehow lose our memory of the eternal place we came from. We become limited and enslaved by time and space. But the memory of that place lingers. We have some inkling of that eternal here-and-now. Again, just watching Jane and Jonathan at play shows me how they are able to transcend time and space. They play their interminable games with absolutely no sense of time. They can spend hours playing and not count the minutes nor the hours. And while at play, space does not confine them at all. Jane can be a princess anywhere anytime. Jonathan immerses himself deeply into the adventures of Korra into lands and times I have never heard of.
As adults, we succumb to the tyranny of time and space. There are just too many places we have to be at or to see. We count the minutes and the hours and measure them against the things we want to do. We frantically run from one place to another while anxiously looking at our watches checking the time. In the process, I might miss out on that presence passing across the room. Or, that little flower that bloomed just for me. Or, how particularly glorious was the sunset yesterday. Or, how extra romantic the moon was last night.
Bless Jane and Jonathan. All it takes is a “Lolo, let us play” from them to free me from my bondage to time and space.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living.
Psalm 27
The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever humbles himself like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”
Matthew 18:1-5, 10