December 10 – “When you grow up”

I have to make a quick trip up to the hospital to pray with a friend having open heart bypass surgery.  Or to pray for him if I miss him before he goes into surgery.  You never know when they will actually come to take him back.  So here’s a quick one.  It’s another Cailyn story, so here goes.

The other morning Cailyn was here for breakfast before we took her to school.  She calmly commented to Chris between bites, “Nani, I don’t know much about nurses.”

Well, that came out of nowhere.  But with a Mom and a Nani who are nurses, I guess it had been on her mind. 
Chris responded, “Well, what do you know?”
And Cailyn had an immediate answer.  Without hesitation she noted, “Well, they give shots and put casts on people and help with surgeries, and blood pressure and listen to your heart and to your tummy and even to your back.”
Whew.  For someone who doesn’t know much about nurses, she sure came up with a right decent job description.
Ever the teacher, Chris had a question: “Why do they listen to your back?”
Cailyn hesitated a second, so I jumped in to be of assistance.  “That’s where you breathe, right?”
Shaking her head with that oh-so-patient look on her face (the one that says, “Oh, DadDad, you are so ignorant”), she granted me a quick lesson of her own.  “Yes, it’s your lungs.”
Dutifully shamed, I determined my place would better be served as a silent observer.
Nani took over.  “Are you going to be a nurse when you grow up?”
And Cailyn replied, “Yes.  No.  Maybe.”
Confusing thing, that choosing a vocation when you are just four years old.
With a sly grin, Chris pressed on just a bit.  “How about a firefighter?”
There you go, Chris.  Bring dear old Dad into the picture.  Everybody loves a hero.
Cailyn thought that one over before answering.  “Yes, a firefighter.”  And after a noticeable pause, she added, “Or maybe a doctor.”
I have a hunch her Mommy and Daddy might be pushing for that doctor in the family.

2 Peter 3:18 says, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”

Father, help our little ones see that the important thing is not so much what they grow to do in their life, but rather who they grow to become.  May they grow to become like you, and may they discover something to do that makes them happy in the process.  Amen.