My Sister, Jane, related to me the following experience she recently had with her two-year-old grandson, Kimball. Quoting Jane:
“I’ve been trying to learn Spanish by memorizing some of the primary songs in Spanish. I’m motivated in part by the desire to communicate better with my little two-year-old Spanish-speaking Grandson, Kimball. I have learned four songs, so the other day I decided to give Kimball, who is living far away from me, a call and sing them to him. I called in the afternoon. Kimball was busy playing and wasn’t interested in talking on the phone, so I we made a plan and when he was ready to listen, just before going to bed, his parents called and put me on speakerphone. It was a bit intimidating singing in Spanish to Kimball’s native speaking mother, his father, my son, who is not native but speaks like one, and a little fellow who doesn’t understand much English because all he speaks at home is Spanish. But, I decided to give it my best shot, with my best accent!
I began singing and I got through the first couple of songs when suddenly Kimball totally lost it and started yelling and crying. I commented that I hoped my singing wasn’t THAT bad. My daughter-in-law tried to figure out what was wrong and tried to calm Kimball down. Finally she said sincerely, “Mom, I think Kimball misses you.” They asked me to hurry and sing another song, which I did. He settled right down, so I sang another. He kept saying, “More, more,” so I got out the little book that he and I sang out of so many times this last summer and began singing all the nursery rhyme songs. I just went from one song to the next. “More, more,” was his response. The call ended on a humorous note. I had a funny thought run through my mind while I was singing one of the songs. When I was finished Todd expressed it out loud. He said, “Mom I hate to tell you this, but you sound like the singing bush in the movie, ‘The Three Amigos,'” and we both totally cracked up. While we were laughing he said, “The next song should be ‘She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain.’” I turned the page of the songbook and to my surprise it WAS the next song. Then we laughed even harder.”
My sister shared her experience with me and I was reminded of how very tenderhearted we all are. Could it be possible that at age two this little man could be sensitive and capable of “missing” someone far away? I thought about the addict and remembered Scott Peck’s thought in The Road Less Traveled, that the addict is the most homesick person for Heaven, on the earth. In the LDS Family Services A Guide to Addiction Recovery and Healing (see side bar links) it says, “A common characteristic of many who have suffered from addiction is a sense of isolation. Even in a crowd or while engaged in activities where others might feel a sense of connectedness, we felt like we didn’t fit in” (Page 29).
A feeling of fellowship, acceptance and love from God and others are the seedbed of recovery and are a powerful and motivational aspect of the Church’s Addiction Recovery Program. When we participate in support group meetings we associate with other Saints who have admitted their great need for the help of God. We can relate. We fit in. Then as we work to apply Gospel principles that bring recovery we find ourselves participating with the Lord, hour by hour, one day at a time. We feel His love. We find we need never be alone.
Sometimes when I pray, sing a hymn, read scripture, hear a particular song, receive a thought through the Holy Spirit, or listen to others share their experience, faith and hope, I cry. I love to hear the voice of the Lord sing to me in any form. He speaks my language. He speaks yours. I miss Him. “More, more!!!” That’s how I feel too!
By Nannette W.
Posted Saturday, November 22, 2008
Copyright 2008 by Nannette W. All right reserved. Making or sending copies is permitted if the page is not changed in any way and the material is not used for profit. This notice must be included on each copy made or sent.
Wow. Thanks a lot Nan. We love you and miss you too.Todd and Betty