A Lenten Devotion by Nicola Seaholm
As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
Colossians 3:12
As I walk through the door of my friend’s house an adult down the hall says, “Who’s here?” A child answers, “Naki Boo-Boo!” and I hear the pitter-patter of little feet (or maybe the ebullient stomping of little feet, depending on the mood of day). Soon I see my almost-four-year-old goddaughter Olive as she rounds the corner and runs into me hugging my legs. It’s a great feeling. Naki Boo-Boo is the name she invented for me two years ago when she was learning to say Nicola. She can say Nicola now, but my special designation lives on—Naki, will you read this book? Naki, can we watch Dino Dana downstairs? Naki, do you have any chocolate?
I’ve watched Olive’s coloring skills evolve from random broad lines on scrap paper to thoughtful shapes in carefully chosen shades. As she matures, her art activities have become more collaborative. On more than one occasion, she presented me with a giant Paw Patrol coloring page and gave directions on how we should work together on it. Recently, she asked me to paint her a sunset and then immediately asked me to teach her how to paint a sunset.
A few weeks ago I spent the day with Sutton, my fourteen-year-old niece, re-creating some cooking and art trends we saw on Instagram. We baked Japanese jiggly cheesecake (with very impressive results), and painted colorful, swirly fluid art together. Our technique wasn’t perfect but we experimented and figured it out together. Along the way we chatted about school, friends, and her favorite Broadway shows.
I treasure these little everyday moments with my young friends just as much as the major milestones and celebrations. These intergenerational relationships have brought me great joy. When learning to be patient and empathetic with a child, I am building my emotional capacity that can be applied to adult relationships. As a result, I have increased my compassion for the world and even for myself.
May everyday moments awaken us to joy and increase our compassion.