(458) Memories

While I was bringing up the children, I did not own a car. When Keziah first started ballet, we used to walk there. Instead of dropping her and run else where, I would stay and watch the lesson from the waiting area. I must have watched every single lesson for about six months at least. I used to think I wasted a lot of time doing things like that. After all, none of my other children took ballet from age three. So there is really no use learning the technique of coaching little girls.

Pastor preached from the pulpit just last week that nothing we do is wasted in God's sight. If we allow God to use every bit of our past, everything  we've been through could glorify him.

A few days later I was watching Uncle Clement playing with Nisha. Nisha is a two and half year old who is very active. She loved being thrown up and then being caught on her way down. I was utterly amazed at her fearlessness. She was spatially confident. I watched the way she flexed her feet. I noticed her muscular control when she was being lifted by her wrists.

Normally I try not to act too smart. After all, I don't really have any real paper qualification to back up what I say, even if I am right. At that moment, My brain was just calculating and comparing mental images stored up. Words came out of my mouth before I could stop myself.

 "Look at her ankle to toes, she is having perfect control over them. Keziah, it took you three months to learn that. And you were one of the fastest in your class of thirteen."

Oh-oh! Chatter box mum had done it again! No one in this city knew Keziah had a few years of ballet in our small town life years ago. I know I have a fantastic memory of children and things related to children's learning. But then I did not expect myself to store a bunch of not relevant info for so many years. I suppose it is relevant to Nisha's mum. She was being encouraged. And we know she needs all the encouragements she could get. Nisha is advanced in every field except speech. Guess what my big mouth told her mum? Without thinking, I said most children improves verbally on a rather straight line going up an incline. But Nisha's curve would be exponential. That means hardly any measurable improvements for months, and one day she would grow unaccountably by leaps and bounds. After I said that, I wonder where the idea came from. Later Keziah asked me how did I know. She said I sounded absolutely certain. I had to think about that for a few hours. Couldn't be quite sure how I knew, but I was certain I have seen a child like Nisha in my past. Maybe it was a movie, a documentary, a real child I heard being described by a parent or  a teacher ... Keziah was right, I was and am still absolutely certain of what I said.