A certain little six-year-old boy has flung himself straight into my heart. His name is Josiah. I’ve known him less than three months and in that time, he has become a trusted friend. He is unlike any other child I know. He has no reserve or inhibition. He is as comfortable with me as he would be a grandmother and he was like that from day one. Josiah has just begun his first year of school, kindergarten. He is extremely bright and I’m sure kindergarten holds no challenge for him. He has a fascination with numbers, mathematics and the expanse of infinity that accompanies numbers. I don’t know what level he has attained, but I am amazed at the math problems he can solve. He has a pretty good grasp of geography. We had a discussion one day about the Ukraine and how one of our elders has gone to the Ukraine to teach the gospel. This led to him explaining to me that Russia spans both Europe and Asia and is the largest continent so they should just be considered one continent since there is no sea between them. He said, “I wish I had my globe here. I would show you where Russia is.”
One afternoon, his father, David, asked me to pick him up from school. They told Josiah this might take place since they were traveling to Amarillo, TX and were not certain they could be back by 3:30. I drove to the school and waited for him. He saw me soon after he got off the school bus and immediately broke out in a smile and ran toward me. “Hi, Miss Lora!” he yelled as he ran. We talked about his day for a few minutes and he told me about his music class and how much he loves music. Then, he took my hand and we walked toward my car. It was then I remembered I do not have a child seat in my car. We were only driving a few blocks, so I wasn’t worried about it. I just wanted him to be okay with it. Since it was the first time he rode in my car, I wanted to be sure he felt comfortable. I said, “Josiah, I don’t have a child carseat for you. Is it okay with you if we just use the seatbelt?” He said, “Oh, sure. I ride that way lots of times.” Again, to make him comfortable riding with me, I asked, “Would you like to ride up front with me, or…” “That would be ILLEGAL!” Josiah interrupted. I laughed. “All right, the back seat it is.”
Today came the crowning event. When something like this happens, you know there is complete trust between you. Josiah’s mother, Katie, brought him and his siblings to the church building. Josiah came in and after we visited a while, he said he had to go to the bathroom which is directly across the hall from my office. He went into the bathroom and I resumed working at the computer. Suddenly, I heard him yell, “Miss Lora! Miss Lora! I need you, Miss Lora!” I jumped up from my desk and walked straight into the men’s bathroom. “What do you need?” I asked, a bit hesitant to just pull back the privacy curtain. “I need you to check and be sure I got all the poop off my bottom!” he said. What a wonderful kid! So, I checked. “Wow, you did a great job!” I congratulated him. “Thanks,” he said.
I backed out of the bathroom and let him do the rest on his own. It struck me that trust is something children have and develop so easily, the way they allow adults to share everything and hold nothing back. I applaud his parents who have allowed him to enjoy every moment of life and have not stolen his precious trusting spirit by teaching him fear, shame and guilt.
There will be more times, more moments of joy ahead for me because this little boy has come into my life. I know it’s coming, but I wish I could hold back forever the day he will feel the need to reserve or stifle something he’d rather share.
