Sheila Sims Iding
Every week this summer that Tim has been home my sister, Suzy, (his Godmother) has taken him to dinner. Once a week. A special dinner. A special conversation. A special study of his pictures…his work…his life. It’s nothing new. She takes him to dinner often whenever he comes home. But this summer it was a standing weekly dinner date. The restaurant is always Tim’s choice. The dinner is always Suzy’s treat. Even when I sent gift cards with Tim that needed to be used…it was still Suzy’s treat. She insisted. But her “treat” went beyond dinner.
She gave him money for his summer days home. To do with what he wanted. He bought piano books, soccer jerseys, religious books and stuff. Oh the luxury of buying “stuff”.
She gave him money for his work in China. That will go back with him…for his work…his mission.
She gave him Gortex shoes for teaching on those cold, snowy winter days in Jilin. (She noticed his shoes had holes.)
She gave him a birthday present…or two or three…to celebrate his May birthday in July.
But more than that, she gave him time. Time in the midst of a huge job promotion that has caused her to work all hours of the day and weekends. Time in the midst of a critically ill puppy that required time, money and care on its own. She gave him time to show his pictures of his travel, his international friends, his university, his work in China…his life.
I went the first week and was invited every week but I didn't want to take from the time these kindred spirits share. The most amazing thing about my sister is the bond she has with my boys. She is a kind, gentle and very wise soul so it is easy to trust her with anything…including conversations of the heart.
From the time they were fairly young my boys told her things that I am not privy to…nor should I be. From the time they were young she would be one of their first calls if something was horribly wrong…or something was amazingly right. She would hear their desperate voice seeking her counsel. She would hear their excited voice with some great news they had to share with someone special…with her.
Tonight is their last dinner for this homecoming. Again we all have been invited. So tonight the Tim/Auntie dinner will be a family dinner. Tim will probably take his iPad again and scroll through some more pictures that he hasn’t shared yet. She will ask two or three questions about each picture. They will talk about sports, his work, his friends, the adversities of his past and the hopes of his future.
I probably won't say much. I will just sit and watch the special bond they share at dinner. I will be grateful for their time together this week and even though next week he will be half way around the world…their bond will be as strong…if not stronger…because an auntie…a Godmother…a kindred spirit…took the time for these weekly meetings that went beyond dinner. Way beyond dinner.
(Thanking God for this special gift of time that Suzy (and Marsha) gave Tim.)