I have been going to the local (franchised) Bagel shop for a long time now. One of the reasons I go to this specific place is because it is close to the Cathedral where my beautiful Runtyun sings for the choir.
I have stated many times my opinion of the filter of organized religion on this and other places, so I will not do so again at this time. However, there is no denying the wonderful things parishioners have done because their God has deemed it right. The music alone, the way it wafts through the air and messages the ear is proof enough that a god exists and has direct control of our lives.
But, this is a discussion for another day.
As I was saying, I was sitting at the shop when a wonderful lady walked in, in tow was an incredible little redheaded munchkin. I know it is corning, but this child is amazing. She is sweet and has not been infected by the cynicism so pervasive in more mature folk.
This corny little child saw me and my iPad the moment she walked in, yet she was smart. She waited for awhile before coming over to me. Eventually though, I saw from the corner of my eye a shadow slinking in my direction. I ignored her.
After all, I was in the middle of something. This logic did not work for an intrepid 2 1/2 year old with corn husk hair. She reached out to touch my computing space. I looked her in the eye and said that I was kinda busy, could she please wait a minute while I finished what I was doing.
Kids are wonderful beings, she persisted in trying to get my attention. I promised her that I would talk in a minute, but to please let me finish. I am not sure how she took it, but she left me with a smile that lightened my heart for a moment.
I finished what I was doing and found an image of an african dwarf frog and pulled it up. There was a movie too. My Runtyun had just invited two of these frogs into her aquarium.
All of a sudden, through the corner of my eye there was a familiar shadow.
"Frog! Ribbit, ribbit!"
Being kind of a dolt, I was not sure what this amazing child knew, so I let her tell me what she wanted. She wanted to explore. Somehow she knew that my electronic thing could bridge gaps, bringing fun things to her. I don't think she had the sophisticated thinking to know how the flow of knowledge my iPad could open for her. But her eyes filled with excitement when she looked at the screen and I felt her rush of excitement and wanted to help her find the wonders of the world.
At one point, she looked me in the eye and said, "Push Button?" her finger lingered over the home button. I ignored it, but she persisted. "OK, " I said. The light of happiness flashed through her pretty pink cheeks. Her eyes opened even wider when the screen changed to the home screen. She giggled.
We played Clumsy Ninja until it was time for her to go. She could not read the instructions, but learned what to do when I told her. Her attending adults gathered around and watched for a moment. Her Mother said it was time to go and I saw this amazing child's resistance to leave this moment of excitement, and I hoped, learning. I looked at her and saw her amazing excitement and promised we would see each other again.
olc
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