Young Body, Old Spirit

I should have write this blog at least a couple years ago, but-because-however, blah, blah, blah...until last weekend, while Kat & I  took our friend on their stop over for a cruise to Alaska, to Seattle water front for a sightseeing trip, we bumped into a young couple with two little boys, it was so weird that we didn't recognize the parent but we instantly recognize the older boy, who is just almost 3 years old. The reaction from my friends has prompt me to write this story - that I have in mind for almost 3 years now, as they watched Kat's face glowing when she saw the boy that she used to babysit him when he was just about 4 months old.


In 2008,  three years taking  a break from long working hour after we sold our restaurant  that we ran for almost nine years, Kat took a job working at a Day care center to keep her busy and a chance of getting out of the house. I've told Kat couple years before we sold our business that working with kids, especially baby - would bring more joy for her than any other type of work, so when a friend asking her about possible working part-time (only 3 hours a day) at the Day Care center, to provide a relief for other teachers to take turn for an hour lunch break.

On the first day at work, the Day Care manager gave Kat a tour around the facility, where they have several rooms - from new born to up to a year old, another room with babies just learn to walk and up to 2  years old, then from 2 to 4 years old, etc...up to the oldest is the toddler near the preschool age. The reason Kat picked the room with full of 7-10 babies, because she fell in love with a cute 4 months old boy with blue eyes, who's parents put him there just a couple days before. From then on, every day she went home, Kat would go on and on talking about this little boy on every little act that he did during those short but joyful hours.



Anyway, Kat wasn't feeling healthy back then, but after three years on non-working and travel with me (it was my "secret" method to rebuild her spirit, which will in turn creating a positive effect on her physical body), she started to slowly recover her strength and she was concerned about whether she can handle this babysitting job or not.
Well, I know this hidden "secret" from the Bible :) - that with Love, we can do anything, plus to me all babies are angels from God - and if we truly love them at heart then they'll bring more joy and happiness to us than we can count. I love those cute little faces with tiny fingers, hand, feet, especially their pure spirit that even without any knowledge or wisdom, they can "see" or perhaps feel who is really love them or not. This subject alone could take me weeks or month to write about it, but for now, I can tell you what was happened to Kat and the little boy we called him Tim.

According to Kat, Tim was about 4 months old when his parents - both are full time working in their professional field - sent him to this Day Care, and coincidentally about the same time that Kat took this job. On Kat first day at work, she noticed that while she was taking care of other cranky & crying babies, Tim was just quietly in his rocking type car seat, watching the event surround him, patiently waiting for other teacher-aid/babysitters take turn to feed him or changing diaper. Tim's patient, gentle and endurance attitude growing as Kat started to feel close to him. It was rarely to see him cried or throwing tantrum, but the opposite.

click on image for larger size

Because of Kat keep telling me every day all little thing about Tim do this, Tim done that..... I told her why not bring a small camera so every time she has a moment, take a snapshot of Tim and his activities so I can see that little cute face. Eventually, we collected many of Tim's pictures - of course with the approval from the Day care manager and Tim's parents, which Tim's dad was so surprised when Kat gives him Tim's picture - as a gift from us - during holiday season. At the first glance, Tim's dad thought it looked like a picture of a lovely baby model from a magazine, but after Kat told him that it was his son picture, he looked at the picture again and exclaim: "Whoa! is this my little Tim?". Three months later, when Tim was able to sit and learn to stand up inside a baby walker. Kat also took several snapshot of Tim, even during Tim just recovered from a cold with running nose, aching, etc... Tim didn't showed any crankiness that any typical sick baby often displayed, to show their discomfort happened within their little body.

Tim at 7 months

The head teacher for this baby room we called Nancy, an old lady at almost 70, has been working here several years, and she had to admit that she hasn't seen any baby easy to take than this baby boy, because even when he was sick, thirsty, hungry or dirty...he was very patiently waiting for the babysitters to take care of other  crying babies first, then more often than not - he was the last baby that until Kat was able to get free and taking care of him. Tim even getting himself to sleep with a blanket when the rest of the babies always needs someone to cuddle and help them to sleep. Then the next event few weeks later happened, which explained why we instantly love this boy very much.


One day getting home from work, Kat fascinatingly told  this story that made me wondered about the re-incarnation belief that many Christian couldn't ever fathom or willing to accepted, but to me the belief explain clearly what God's love is.

When Tim was able to learn how to get himself standing up, they let him to roam free in the room and let the other baby to use the walker like Tim was using in the picture above. On that day, one of the baby boys older than Tim just over a month was putting in there and he was angry, wanting attention. When Tim saw this boy in hysterical crying, he crawled over then help himself to stand up, leaning on the walker - perhaps wondered why this boy was crying so much, then Tim get down to the floor and pickup a pacify belong to the boy then put in the boy's mouth, as if he was able to reason that the pacify will help to comfort and console the other boy just it has helping him. At first, the other boy was quiet and content with a pacify, but only for a brief moment, then he throw away the pacify and start crying again. Still standing next to him, Tim leaned over and pick up the pacify and  give it to the crying boy. The same event happened three times, and on the third time perhaps the other boy was so mad that nobody paying attention to him, he throw the pacify far away. Tim looked at the pacify he might thinking that it was a long way to get it, so without any thought, Tim took his pacify and gave it to the other boy. This very act alone that touch my heart and let me stronger believed that some spirits are old, and even when they are re-born again, like this wonder boy, their new body may be young, but their spirit could be older than we may outwardly seen. Because, logically speaking, it's only the experienced spirit/soul could learn from the past experience and translate it into action, and only happen when we are at older age, not like this young 6-7 months boy like Tim, unless the experience was carrying from the past karma, so strongly that he knew instantly what he has to do in this case.


Now, back to this boy name Tim. Kat said that Tim not just required less demand attention from teachers, he taking care of himself whenever he's able and also often help calm down the other babies by just his close by present  or interact with them. Months and a year later, after Tim's "graduated" from Kat's room and move on to another room, gradually other teachers they all admitted the same thing that we already knew. They're all love - if not crazy about him  and respected Tim - like we did.

Sometime when Kat came to other room to help the teachers, which happened that Tim was in the same class. One time, when the rest of other children were gathered to sing or to play a game,  Kat saw Tim wandered in the room by himself looking for something to play or to enjoy like reading book, Kat tried to bring in back with the group, but the teacher just quietly told Kat to leave him alone, because the group activity may bored him, and Tim always well behave - plus having a very strong will - as if he knows what he wanted, but also could obey if the teachers insisted. Imagine that to a teenager, let alone little boy who was just less than 2 years old.


Even many of his classmates aware of Kat's tenderness for Tim, because whenever she has a break, Kat often come into his room looking for Tim, and when other kids saw Kat showed up, they knew right away as few of his close buddies come and let Tim know or tell her where Tim was without Kat even ask.

Tim at one year old.

I could go on and on talking about Tim - like teachers didn't have to yell or order him to do, except learning a new lesson or activity, because he finished his snack and lunch, washing hand by himself without even being asked - nor standing up or running around, throwing foods like the other kids did, always be the first in line waiting to go outside or be prompt, ready to go inside when his teacher calling. Never fight with other kids, even to those who sometime took his toys. Tim even get himself into bed and quietly go to sleep, wake up and put away his blanket before the rest of class get out of bed, etc...

As writer Rita Rubin wondered "Little kids, big voices: How can some girls sing like adults?" like Jackie Evancho, a little 10 years old who became the world's darling with her angel voice; similarly many years ago I often asked myself why some kids - like Tim - already knows what they wanted; acts like they already "been there, done that" before, behaves like adult while some adult only growing older, not wiser?

Long ago I had asked the same question to God's fairness, about why somebody became genius like Einstein, Beethoven, Newton, or even famous and rich like Bill Gates, etc... when billion other couldn't not solve a simple equation, sing a short verse of music, or couldn't never make enough - during entire life - for living compare to a few minutes of money that Bill Gates can make from his investment, let alone his business. Then after I have to repeat study the same classes for 3 times, when my last classmates often said I must be a genius, which always made me laugh -  because how could I know something even before my teacher finished a sentence. Little they knew that I had been there before - twice - and the third time was so easy for me as the reason. 

Even now and then, sometime I don't know when or why I instantly know what I know, even though I never experienced or encountered it in this life, I just know it. There are many books that authors already arrived into the same conclusion: past karma. If Christian could use the same principle and in a broader context, they have to admit that because Jesus aware of his past "karma", he knows he's the Son of God, thus  has act accordingly. Even though Jesus's fate might has been pre-determined, but he still has to decide whether to follow his will or GOD's will. GOD never forced His only Son or all of us to follow His Will, as GOD respected our will. It's just us that we know nothing, a complete ignorance fool, thinking our will better than GOD's will, and worse - forcing others to go against their wills, thus create more pain & suffering in this fleeting short life.


I love all children because of their characters & beautiful, cute faces like angel, and more deeply so since I know soon or later, they'll have to go through all of the tribulations that we all must endure since Adam & Eve. With that thought in mind, I wished and prayed that Tim will grow up with happiness, and always be like an angel for others people that he meet on his path.