NEW BEGINNINGS

The Blessing of Seeing Life through the Eyes of Your Children

By: Carlos Solórzano

I have a lot to be thankful for in life but the greatest blessing of all is my children. They are still young so there are still so many things that they are yet to see or learn but they have no idea how much they have already taught me.

What comes to mind when I first think of this was the first time my wife and I took them to a Disney theme park. We had both grown up in California so had been to Disneyland several times but our kids first went to Disneyworld three years ago and the one thing that stands out in my mind was that look of happiness that they had on their faces throughout the day. I've had plenty of fun at such a park in my life but to see my kids' first experience meant more to me than any fun I ever had. I would pay any amount of money to see that again at any time because as many of you already know, there is no greater joy than to see your child happy.

When I attended a conference last summer we had to introduce ourselves and tell everyone a little bit about our careers and our family situation. I remember I told them that I had a son who is my hero and a daughter who is my heart . I said that with all sincerity because they have taught me so much about the most important thing in life and that is love.

My son is nine years old and is in third grade at a local Catholic school. He is very shy and reserved and when I tried to teach him his prayers and such before he started school he was very resistant. Aside from the amazing teachers he has had over the past few years I'm guessing it was also the atmosphere because he is not only on fire for his faith but likes to talk about it all of the time. He asks questions about Jesus and will even tell me and others around him which Commandment we are breaking when we do wrong. That and he loves to watch his Jesus videos and sing his favorite Jesus songs in the car when I pick him up from school.

He is still as much a little boy as anyone else. He loves video games, Star Wars, Batman, his toys and such but I admire watching him when he sits quietly and reads his bible or draws pictures of Jesus from various parts of his life. He takes his faith really seriously and is never ashamed to say so. Word has gotten back to me from his teacher that he is very different from the other kids and apparently his faith expressions are so sincere that his fellow classmates never tease him for being prudish or anything like that as he's known as the boy that loves Jesus . You can imagine how proud I was when he won a Student of the Month award. That and a few months later, a fairness award that his classmates voted him for apparently because of the way he treats everyone in the class.

That has taught me so much about what it means to be a Christian. My son is not real out with it but he also doesn't hide it. If he has a chance to talk about his faith he does. If he has a chance to pray and give thanks for something he does. It's just who he is and he doesn't think twice about it or apologize for it. He is my hero because he reminds me that being a Christian is a lifestyle and something that we should never hide. Sad to say, I have not always done that but I am proud of the fact that he is not like me.

A little girl is a treasure to her father. Unlike my son, she is very outgoing, loves to spend time with her loved ones, loves to joke around and laugh but like her brother is very loving and caring. She is still in preschool but has a heart of gold and is most happy when she can express the love she has for others. She loves to help her mother and grandmother cook or bake, she loves to come up to you to see if you need help with something you're doing and my favorite thing she does, she always thinks of her brother and makes sure that he's taken care of. Recently my in laws had her out somewhere during the Christmas shopping season and someone at a store was giving little gifts away to the kids. She accepted her gift and told the man right away that she had to get something for her brother, which the man was more than happy to oblige. Little things like that remind me again that the little things are what matter the most.

She then likes to tell me that she loves me or that she's happy with what we're doing on a certain day so for me, she's such a treasure because she wants to make sure that she lets me or anyone else around her for that matter know that she is happy to be with them. How often do I do that with those close to me? Do I say thank you to those that do things for me? Do I sometimes not even show such gratitude to my wife or let her know on a regular basis how much I love and appreciate her? Yes, but not as much as my daughter does so she has taught me so much when it comes to showing love to those around me.

This is why it saddens me when I see the tragedies around the world that happen to children. Why can't their parents see the treasure in these kids that many other parents around the world see in the kids who are loved and cared for? Why do we tolerate a media that almost seems to celebrate a mentality of kids being a nuisance and a hindrance on our lives? Yes, children require hard work and sacrifice, something that is not accepted by the self-centered thinking that we know is destroying our society. That is why we as Christians must live our lives showing the world how much we value our children and defend the most vulnerable children out there when they are being abused. That is because aside from Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, they are the most precious gift God has ever given to us.

CARLOS SOLORZANO has a BA and MA in Religious Studies from Cal State Long Beach . He teaches theology at Salpointe Catholic High School and ethics at Brown Mackie College. He is also a professional musician and writer and lives in Southern Arizona with his wife and children.