My Boy

Sam had a busy day of school and an evening full of homework and piano lessons and a boy scouts event that ran past bedtime.  I had already put Lena to bed when Rich and Sam got home from scouts.  I was waiting with a preheated bed and his pjs in hand when they walked in the door.  He asked so nicely if he could stay up for a few extra minutes and, since he had been fairly well behaved and I hadn't seen much of him all day, I didn't mind breaking our bedtime rule just a bit.

He cuddled with me on the couch and we watched American Idol.  That's when he melted my heart.

There was this blind guy auditioning for the judges.  He had a great big smile and spirit that filled up the room.  But his voice wasn't great and the judges did not let him through.  Dismayed, the guy took off his glasses and, heartbroken, he began to cry.

Sam asked me if I would have let him through.  I said no.

He said, "But he's blind, mommy.  Shouldn't they give him an extra chance?"  I tried to explain how people with disabilities should be treated with the same respect and candor as everyone else and that, even though our reaction is to absolve them from sometimes harsh realities, patronizing that person is unfair to them and the other singers.  "Plus", I told him, "that guy has other amazing gifts he should be proud of.  Singing's just not one of them."

Then Sam looked up at me with his big blue eyes and said "I feel like I might cry for that man".

Oh, my heart swelled for my son in that moment.  "I love your soul, buddy.  You're so kind and caring.  What a lovely soul you have."  I asked him if he knew what a soul was and he said, "Kind of like my heart?"

"Yes", I said, "It's kind of like your heart and your mind and your spirit all together.  If you think of your body as a car, then your soul would be the driver.  Without your soul, your body would be empty and you wouldn't be you.  It's more important to have a good soul than anything else in this world.  And son, you have a good one.  I'm so proud of you."

Then he smiled his toothy wide smile and hugged me.

That's my boy.