salvation is enough

the greatest reminder my God could have ever given me about simplicity was given to me while watching my favorite person in the whole world, my nephew

erich douglas-a.k.a. erock

last week i had the pleasure of hangin with him while mom went to a movie. why i love him and crave spending time with him is cuz he reminds me of what really matters-livin'.

so we're hangin out @ perkin's school playground and i spy him sittin in the sand diggin around-i go over to him and i notice he's got his feet buried and his legs are stubbs-so i'm like, 'hey, can i bury my feet too?' and he looks at me with this gaze of joy-wide eyed & mouth open a little- and is like 'YEAH!'

so i do so. and then i asked him, 'hey! now that we don't have any feet how are we gonna get around!?!?' and he's like, 'we'll hop!' yes. we would hop on our stubs.

then he proceeds to death-defyingly climb a jungle gym that was made for giant children (he's only 4) while his mother & i stand by but force ourselves to look the other way, knowing that we may FREAK if we know which limbs are hanging from which high place.

mom leaves & we start diggin again-and he's bumbed that he didn't bring his shovel. whine, whine, and i'm like, crap, we can't go back & get his shovel cuz if we do, it'll be dark before we know it-so i, being the genius that i am, was like 'hey, let's try to find something that will be our shovel.' not much luck there. finally we resorted to using my sandals. he loved it. and why? cuz he's a kid. and he's simple and he doesn't care about all the rediculous details that we do. AAAHH! i'm jealous.

then we're walkin back home and he looks up @ the sky while i'm knelt over putting on his shoe & he's like, 'look erica, the moon is out during the day!' sho nuf it was. 'jesus put it there-it's so pretty.'

yeah. that's what he said. he's a genius & a man that fears the Lord.

he proceeds to impress me with his simple faith and wide-eyed optimism. several times it made me cry for what i've lost.

he's four but his hands are still small enough to feel really special when he plays with my fingers when i'm reading him a book.

he's still short enough that he has to lean on my shoulders when i'm helping him put his pants on.

what i was left with was my last encounter of the evening. he swept himself off to bed (props to mom) in a obediant manner-and as i lay there with him, before i tucked him in, i asked if he wanted to pray. he sure did. 'thank you jesus for mom, for jessie, for erica, for kirt, for gramagrandpa gennie, for gramagrandpa tami, for daddy, for sean, for mariah, for sindey, for jess & kirt's baby.'

that's it. just thanks. and like one request for 'jesus watch over jess & kirt's baby'. his little soft hands folded in front of his tiny little lips.

i lost it.

and i realized that it's been so long since i've really given thanks, i needed to be taught again.

and he did.