The Circle of Life

Last friday our fourth grandchild was born, a big boy who looks EXACTLY like my son did when he was born. It is almost unnerving. To top it off my son looks just like my father. This new baby even has my son’s temperament because his heart rate remained remarkably low throughout the birth, just like my unflappable son.

My eldest was a contemplative sort even as a baby, as he examined and studied everything! We have a picture of him studiously playing checkers with my husband, head in his hands, studying every move made on that checker board. It looks like his son will be much the same. It is  the circle of life.

The Circle of Life from the Lion King is a thrilling song with a stirring melody and moving.There are many biblical lessons found in "The Lion King" if one is open enough to observe them. I know some people denounce the Lion King but I find that God can speak through anything and everything."The Lion King" is a coming of age story where Simba, a young lion cub, grows up and becomes king but not without struggles. How finally discovers his place in the circle of life. When we discover who we are and how we fit into life, then God can start using us.

The Circle of Life

It's the Circle of Life

And it moves us all

Through despair and hope

Through faith and love

Till we find our place

On the path unwinding
In the Circle

The Circle of Life

They are People

Look back once the baby has grown and discover the seeds of the man within his tiny soul

They are all people:
in utero
newborn
infant
baby
toddler

People
Albeit little people
Still they are people

With Dignity

Not an it

Not simply an appendix to

mother's body
Not owned by the mother
Not reflections of mum's ego

Not characters

to fulfil unfulfilled dreams
and ambitions.

Children

Toddlers

Babies

unique

definite personalities and characters

Look back once they have grown
and discover the seeds of the man within the toddler

a mystery and a delight
to discover each individual personality
encourage
watch
as they grow in a
unique way

Souls cherished
by God Himself.

Life or Death: A Four-Year old Chooses

Ultimately, there is a thin veil that separates life and death.

The following is a true story of a four-year old child, in a coma, following a serious car accident.

Chandra was still not conscious when she began to speak to her parents in the ICU. She spoke as if in a dream, describing a big room with two doors where she sat waiting with several other people.  She explained that  she had to decide which door she wanted to walk through.  A really nice man, dressed in white smiled at her and told her that she was completely free to walk through either door. One door would bring her back to her life on earth.  If she liked, she could across the room, take  the nice man's hand and walk through the other door.

In the beginning, Chandra spoke weakly, in a disjointed manner insisting that the nice man loved her so much that she wanted to be with him. As the days passed, she spoke in a stronger voice and began asking her parents,

"Do you love me?"

When they assured Chandra that they loved her she answered,

"Wellll...I don't know. I really want to be with him. Buttt...maybe I will come back"

The next couple of days were spent in an almost comical dialogue as Chandra asked if her siblings, grand parents and extended family all loved her. After each confirmation, she emerged slowly from her coma, answering in an ever more confidant voice,

"Maybe I will come back!"

Throughout the discussion, Chandra  described the other people in the room, casually mentioning two people who stood up and walked across the waiting room, walking through the second door with the nice man. One was a young guy, who looked just like her young uncle and another an old woman who was like her grandmother. Within minutes of Chandra's announcements,  an elderly woman and a day later a young man died in the ICU.

For her parents, the most startling fact of this entire experience was that tiny Chandra could perhaps choose between two outfits her mother picked out or whether to have an apple or an orange for a snack just a week ago. On earth, she would not make any major life decisions until she was 18 years old. Yet she was deciding whether to live or die.