Explanation or Excuse?

I have been silent this week, and I am sorry.

Because finances are so tight, I took some roofing work with my father-in-law. It had me up at 5:45 every morning, and by the time I got home, I had no juice left for blog entries.

However, good stuff did happen. Especially tonight. I'm sure our regular readers are used to hearing about Communicycle, a local bike co-op where we get a chance to interact with some of the older kids from our apartment complex.

Melvin finished building his bike last week. This week, he asked if he could come to the shop to fix his sister's bike for her. We spent a few hours together figuring out how to keep air in her tires, run wires and housing for the brakes, and adjust everything for her height. Melvin left a few times to wreak havoc, but it was generally an amazing time to build a relationship.

In a confessional moment, I told Melvin that sometimes I get too easily annoyed by people.

"Like me?" he asked.

I took the chance to tell Melvin all the things I liked about him, and how, while some things he does are irritating, that he is a joy to be around. I don't think he has any idea that he is so fun to spend time with.

Many of our kids are like this, with all sorts of voices telling them to shut up or act out, unaware that they have been given gifts which bring joy to everyone around them, given the right use.