JUST A LITTLE BOY...

today during our playground time at the park, emma met a little boy whom she befriended, as she always does, with dramatic gestures and invitations to play and explanations of her name and where she lives. i observed, smiling at her extreme friendliness.

at the end of our play time, we walked home together with little "andrew" and his yaya...emma chattering to him all the way and waving goodbye to him as we parted ways. andrew said not one word to my little miss chatterbox. that didn't stop her, but it struck me that he was an unusually silent child. however, when we crossed the street and he and his yaya went straight on, he pitched a silent tantrum and she was forced to carry him in her arms, restraining his kicking feet and arms.

after we were inside our apartment, my maid Rose informed me that this was the son of Ivan Padilla who died last week. having never heard of him, i researched who he is and why he died.

turns out, ivan padilla was the head of a carnapping gang and was killed under suspicious circumstances in a shoot-out with police a week or two ago.

so.

here is the little quiet boy.

fatherless.

unresponsive.

traumatized.

he is our neighbor. emma is his friend. he is not yet her friend, for he did not respond, in any way, to her overtures.

but i pray, with all my heart, that somehow- like the good Samaritan- we can be a true neighbor to that child. if nothing else, we can pray for him.

and i hope we meet again at the playground, and i hope emma can draw him out of his shell and truly be his friend.

sigh.

life goes on around us and some of it is just so sad.

little andrew, i pray that somehow you would feel the love of Jesus and know that you are not fatherless- that your Heavenly Father is right there with you.

you are not alone.