Nathan by My Side

Hello again! I thought I'd introduce this little thought with a photo taken last week. It shows a guitar lesson I had with Nathan up in my music room. Nathan is now 10 years old. Most of you know that like his older brother, Marcus, Nathan also has autism. God always has blessings for us even in the midst of trials. I've learned to appreciate the unique beauty of people with disabilities. Nathan is different than most kids his age, but in the sweetest ways. He's brilliant, but has almost no ego about it outside of openly enjoying our smiles at his abilities. He learns to do difficult things, like fingerstyle guitar, because he doesn't know he can't, and his memory can be astonishing at times. He not only remembers every president by number, but he can tell you how tall they were in inches and feet. He knows their middle names and can list every president that had facial hair in the order that they served...I know, I know. He knows my CD collection too. I found out one morning at Hardees when "Fields of Gold" came on overhead, that he knows what track that song is on "The Very Best of Sting and the Police." Puzzled how he knew that, I asked a couple of questions and learned that "Englishman in New York" is track 3 and that it's 4 minutes and 25 seconds long. Funny thing is that he might not be able to tell you that he had a cheeseburger for lunch just 15 minutes ago or that 10 X 6 = 60. He can, however, quickly compute roughly how many miles are in 10 light years.

The next photo is Nathan with his sister, Kristin. He is openly affectionate with her and the rest of us. He'll cry if he thinks you're upset with him for any reason. He tells me he wants to be a Daddy and that his kids will call me Grand Daddy...and that he will marry Mommy. He was a bit disappointed to find out that it doesn't work quite like that...at least outside of Spartanburg County. ;-) The thing that gets me is that the proof of Nathan's autism lies not in what he can't do, but in what he doesn't do because of his innocence.

Last year, Nathan and I toured Washington DC for 3 days, and had a special time together with him that I'll always cherish. Here he is at Mount Vernon on the right. I learned a lot about him those three days. I learned how much he loves cold weather, and how much he enjoyed the simple fun of kicking ice with me down the sidewalks. I marveled that he was saddened, as if out of inate reverence, at the site of Washington's tomb and the President's box at Ford's Theater. I learned just how precious a couple of days can be just talking to, walking with and watching Nathan be my son.

I make a special effort to spend time every week and every day that God allows with Nathan. We've walked for days hunting shark teeth, journeyed many leagues servicing Li'L Cricket convenient stores together, wandered through art gallerys and coffee shops, and driven hundreds of miles for a two hour concert. Not a minute with him has been a waste in any way. I imagine God looks at His time with us in much the same way, and that He sees the beauty in us most when we grow to be who He intended us to be while simply walking by His side. We do well to make time for our Father and for each other often. Doing so spins the threads of precious moments into the blanket of a precious life, and what better to keep us warm.