Let Them Be Little

I can remember when you fit in the palm of my hand

Felt so good in it, no bigger than a minute

How it amazes me, you're changing with every blink

Faster than a flower blooms they grow up all too soon

So let them be little 'cause they're only that way for a while

Give them hope, give them praise, give them love every day

Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle

Oh just let them be little

I've never felt so much in one little tender touch

I live for those kisses, prayers and your wishes

Now that you're teaching me things only a child can see

Every night while we're on our knees all I ask is please

Let them be little 'cause they're only that way for a while

Give them hope, give them praise, give them love every day

Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle

Oh just let them be little

So innocent, a precious soul, you turn around

It's time to let them go

So let them be little 'cause they're only that way for a while

Give them hope, give them praise, give them love every day

Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle

Oh just let them be little

Got a note from a dear friend of ours from our assignment in Boston, MA. She and I were a little out of our

element because we were both from the South. We had an instant connection and became fast friends. She had two boys, Nick and Zach who played with Johnny and Lindsey all the time.

Jan and I didn't spend alot of time together but we did do some fun little get-aways for the day. She would come pick me up and we would run up the road and shop while the kids were in school. I treasured my time with Jan. She and I shared alot of really great times. She sent me a letter back in Febuary and I ran across it again today. It brought back so many precious memories of James as a baby and toddler. We were able to connect a few times over the last few years and picked up right where we left off. (It's amazing how you can do that with your true friends!) She was able to see James as a 13 year old and when we made the trip to Highlands, she and Gus made James feel so special. I wanted to share part of the note Jan sent to me because her memories date back to James from about 3 months to almost 3 years old. Her recall of events warmed my heart.

Jan writes:

"Dear John and Tammy,

I have searched the stores for the perfect card to send to you. I give up. There is absolutely no way Hallmark, or anybody else for that matter, can design a card that conveys the love I feel for your family and lets you know that each day you are all part of my thoughts and prayers.

Our Christian faith tells us to rejoice that James is home with our Lord in heaven. In spite of the fact that I know James is with God, I am still terribly saddened by his death. I share your grief and want you to know that whle y'all "birthed him" I considered him family. What a fine young man he was in his life here on earth and I was blessed to have had the opportunity to watch him grow up.

I smile to think of James as a grinning little blonde-headed fireball jumping on the couch in your house at Hanscom AFB. Tammy, I can hear your frustrated, "James David, I'm goona tear you outta the frame if you don't get down from there right this minute." Then there is that voice from our yard in Highlands, "Mr Gus? Mr Gus?" His energy was such a force that I find myself wondering how many of heaven's Angels he wears out by the end of each day.

I am sure that for all the young people who have approached you and told you stories about how James touched their lives, there are many more whose name you will never know. Those lost kids watched James, filed away in their memories his goodness and his ability to reach out to those in need. They will remember him, remember how he lived his life and some of them might just turn their lives around in the years to come."

This was a treasured letter as all of the letters and cards have been to us. The thing that makes this letter special is that Jan knew James as a baby and toddler. She and Gus saw him a few times after we moved but her memories of James were of a toddler who rarely slowed down. This letter allowed me to go back and remember the days of leaving a ballgame that Johnny or Lindsey played in and being dirtier than they were because of chasing James from one end to the other. It's funny when you are in the midst of those days, you think it will never end but trust me, it comes way too soon. So like the writers of the song, my words to the exhaused moms and dads out there are:

Let them be little 'cause they're only that way for a while

Give them hope, give them praise, give them love every day

Let them cry, let them giggle, let them sleep in the middle

Oh just let them be little.

Thanks Jan for the reminder of just how precious our babies are to us!