A few days ago I had to fill out a form for Sawyer’s new 1st grade teacher to provide some insight for her as to who my son is---5 character traits that describe him, a brief sentence or two about what motivates and upsets him, areas of strengths and weaknesses, and then an "additional comments" section for anything else she may need to know.
I left that section blank, mainly because we were going to be late for the first day if I spent too much time in deep reflection, and secondly because she is a mother of four and most of the things I would write are already understood due to the universal bond of motherhood. But just in case, here goes my “anything else” you would need to know about my son:
Sawyer is my first born child, my wakeup call to the fact that life can be so much richer, fuller, and abundant than I ever could have imagined. He is my daily evidence that we serve a God who lavishes us with His love and joy. He is my constant reminder that being called “mom” will forever be one of the sweetest sounds I will ever hear. He is a reflection of the best and worst parts of Ben and I (we both happen to claim credit for the good, and blame the other for the bad).
He is a leader. He is funny. He seeks approval and relishes words of affirmation. He has a need to be heard and likes to explain (and it’s NOT arguing, it’s explaining . . . .wonder who he gets this from?) He likes to build things (Ben) and wants to tell you about every detail of it (Stacy). He has a sweet heart and he is wise, which seems like a strange thing to say about a 7 year old, but there has always been a depth of knowledge with this boy that surprises me (although he still switches his “b”s and “d”s around when he writes). He is responsible and seeks justice and hates when things seem unfair (and on a sidenote he also loves StarWars and Indiana Jones and legos and building forts).
I could go on and on (of course I could. . .) but I guess the only thing left for me to tell you, Mrs. Poole, is that my deepest desire is that this boy turns into a man after God’s own heart. I want him to grow in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. I want him to love to learn and to seek knowledge, but more importantly I want him to fall head over heels-unashamedly-crazy in Love with His Savior. I want him to long to know the One who created him and spoke his name before time began.
Mrs. Poole, I know you are “just” his 1st grade teacher, but I also know that God has selected you to play a part in my son’s life. He has chosen you as a vessel to reveal Himself to my son. I commit to praying for you daily and can’t wait to see what this year has in store!
(oh, and also, we will probably be tardy a lot, and sometimes Sawyer may sneak contraband into his backpack that I am unaware of----spaceships, legos, sticks and rocks, etc.)
