“Here comes the sun and I say, it’s all right” and she sings gleefully as she spins around and around and then races in a circle as if she is a dog chasing her tail. But it is simply little Ava singing her new favorite song from a movie. The movie has not even ended yet but, in anticipation, she is up already from her seat off the couch, dancing and running in circles singing as loud as can be for all the world to hear about the sun coming out and I can’t help but laugh out loud as she sings “Little darling.” To hear this line sung by a little three year old wearing a shirt that says “Thing 1!” Oh, what would Dr. Seuss have to say about that?
I think this song is just a classic because of what it says. No matter what is going on in the world, what tragedies befall us, the sun will eventually break through. Amen for the sun’s ability to do that. Amen for God willing it to be so.
This weekend was a walk for Autism and we were participating for my grandson Ty. Autism is something that will affect my grandson Ty Ry for the rest of his life and our entire family. It has heightened our awareness keenly of the need of family support systems. We need to be there for Ty and for each other as he journeys through life. How appropriate that on this same weekend we have this walk, my nephew would choose to come to Nashville for the first time ever and participate in this walk. What a beautiful thing to show, even in the years of absence he remembers the bond with his cousin, Mike that he began playing with at about the same age Ty is now. It was also a chance for us meet his son Dominic for the first time.
Dominic had begun living with his father in the past year more often than not. However, I am not sure he really knew much about us, the extended family. So I am certain, when he learned of this trip, he was probably quite nervous, excited and apprehensive also as most little 3rd grade boys would be. We were strangers to him. And yet, he came here shy, full of apprehension and left here after three days, full of smiles, laughing and good memories. He left us with quite a few of him also!
Dominic was forewarned about a little boy with autism who would not be able to interact with him at all. And yet, on Sunday before Dominic left, he marched upstairs to the playroom/family room to say good bye to his cousins. The last person he reached was Ty. Being only 2, and small for his age, Dominic had to bend over at the waist to get closer to Ty's level. It is hard also to get Ty's attention as he is known for being unfocused and not having good eye contact. This day, I saw something amazing between these two boys.
Watching, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dominic lean down and address Ty saying "Hi little buddy, hey there. I am going now and going to miss you Ty. " Ty immediately responded to him by listening. Dominic went on to say,"You are a special little guy and I really like you. I really want to hug you so bad. Can I hug you?” Dominic knew better than to try and risk Ty having a fit so he just stood there staring at Ty expecting nothing. What happened next was simply inspiring. My little grandson threw his arms around Dominic's legs to hug him. And then, as Dominic thanked him, Ty looked up at his face and smiled. It was a special moment representing a special unspoken bond, I could see it clearly. I looked over at Dominic and said “I can’t believe what I just saw.” He played it down and just said that it was nothing. "Me and the little guy just hit it off."
A short time later, I watched my sister’s car pull away with my nephew and his son Dominic in the car heading home to another state. I hoped and prayed they would be back sooner rather than later. I felt that these two boys, perhaps, needed each other. There was something divine I had witnessed. It is in the small moments of life that God reveals Himself and His ability to draw folks towards each other. He put these two together at that precise moment in time. How he would use a little boy like Dominic to touch a little boy like Ty is something even I can’t even begin to understand. But I do know that Dominic will never ever forget Ty. My grandson has touched him, I could see it in his eyes.
As I walked back upstairs to Ava, I was met with another chorus of “Here comes the sun, here comes the sun…” and I could not help but wonder if these two boys were possibly the sun for each other. I know for me, I saw something far greater than the sun come out that day.
