Sweet, Sweet Baby

Two things have happened recently that give such a true glimpse into Roo's heart; I want to make sure I get them down before I forget them.
Driving down the road on the way to a birthday party, Roo and I listening to our favorite Christian radio station. A story came on about a preacher in Iran who had been arrested for spreading the Word of God to the Muslim people. He had also dedicated enormous amounts of time to building orphanages in the country, but that did not matter. He was sentenced to EIGHT years in prison for sharing God's love. I knew when it came on that Roo and I were about to have a pretty serious conversation as a result of this story, but I didn't know it would effect her the way it would. She is aware that many people/countries do not worship the same God that we do. What she could not seem to understand is how someone could be arrested for sharing the Word of the real God (her words) with others. With tears in her eyes, she said as heartfelt as I have ever heard anything said before, "Mommy that is so sad.  Without Jesus in their heart, those people can't go to heaven! Everybody should have the chance to have Jesus in their hearts. He is a good man for telling those people how to love Jesus so they can go to heaven!"
That little incident was such a perfect glimpse into her sweet soul. She loves Jesus with such a ferocity that it melts me. I am so proud of her love for Him and her desire to please Him.
The other incident was something that made me feel horrible as a parent. You know those choices you make as a parent that you really think are right, but it takes about 2.5 to realize that you made a mistake? Yeah, we had that the other night. I came across this beautiful video made from a man who was bullied as a boy. It was sort of animated, but in a sophisticated way, and narrated with a very passionate poem. I did watch it before hand, and it was sad, but bullying is sad, and I felt it was important that she see it. Not because I feel like she would ever bully someone, but because bullying is so prevalent and I wanted her to see just how it made people really feel. I also wanted her to watch it because I wanted her to see the importance of always befriending those people who are left out, picked last for the team, or just plain picked on. I wanted her to see how vital it is for everyone to know they at least have one friend in the world. No one should ever feel alone.
There was one particularly sad part in the video that spoke about a girl who was his only friend in the 5th grade, and how, beginning on the very first day of that year, she was teased and called ugly, and to this day, as a grown woman with kids of her own who think she is the most beautiful person they have ever seen, she still can't see the beauty in the mirror. It was heartbreaking, really.
I should have known better than to let Roo hear that part. She barely recovered.
She literally cried herself to sleep that night, so hurt that a person could be that cruel to another. Her brain just cannot fathom that kind of behavior. There is no part of her little heart that could imagine causing that kind of pain.
And that is her heart. So sweet and gentle. I am so proud of the person she is and her amazing, kind spirit. I know she is destined to do great things in this world. She asks me all the time what I think her talent is. Without a doubt, I know it is her ability to show love to those who need it most. To me, that is the greatest gift I could ever hope for her.