Growing Up

Troy seems to be growing so much.
He was a late bloomer when it came to talking...
he was practically three before we could understand much of anything.
I knew he was the kind of 'talker' that had it all inside,
he was just waiting for the worlds to come.
His fourth birthday will be here in a few months and I love talking with this little guy.
He loves to tell stories.
Often times in the evenings Tony will come home and sit on the couch with him and they will talk and talk...
I love listening to them.
Not just talking but understanding...
He really understands things now.
I used to give direction after direction and wonder why he didn't 'get' it.
He gets it now.
With that understanding comes some new emotions too.
Ignorance is truly bliss...
Until recently Troy didn't recognize when someone was being mean,
he didn't understand when someone was unkind
or when someone wasn't being honest.
He didn't understand that people can hurt one another with their words.
He has been telling me a lot, "people should treat each other with kindness."
Something I've told him for a very long time now,
but now those words have meaning.
He knows what kindness means and he understands when others aren't being kind.
It's a little sad to see him recognize the cruelness in this world
but I am proud of the kind little person he is becoming.
I know there will be many seasons in his life but I hope he never forgets to treat others with kindness.

A new commandment I give to you,
that you love one another: just as I have loved you,
you also are to love one another.
-John 13:34