This weekend, I was on standby to take care of two very sweet little boys. One was my grandson, Hayden, and the other one was his friend, Henry. By Friday night, I began to think my services were not going to be needed, since I had not heard from my daughter Shanda.
However, Saturday morning I was informed that I would be needed as a babysitter for the evening. I told my daughter I would be happy to do so, but that they would have to understand while the UK¿game was on, the boys would have to entertain themselves.
The boys evidently were given the memo and everything was going so smoothly during the game. I could hardly believe my good luck. Right before halftime, they asked if they could go outside for awhile. I agreed and gave them the boundaries where they could play. I checked on them and everything was going so well, I got more involved in the game. Even the game was going better than I had expected.
All of a sudden, Hayden comes running into the house with Henry right beside him. Hayden was holding a small blue egg. He wanted to know what kind of egg it was. I explained that it was a robin’s egg. He held it like it was a piece of gold or a fine jewel in his hand. He walked around awhile outside with Henry peering into his hand. Then they decided between the two of them it should be heated. Hayden asked for something warm to wrap it in, and then came in to sit next to the furnace so the heat would keep the egg warm.
I finally talked them into going back outside with the egg. Then Hayden decided to relinquish the egg to Henry for a while because the next thing I knew, all heck had broken loose between the two. Henry ran into the house with lips trembling and tears welling up in his eyes. He began talking so fast and trying to tell me he didn’t mean to do it, he didn’t mean to do it. He told me Hayden was aggravating him because Hayden said he meant to do it.
In the meantime, I could hear Hayden crying and I expected him to come in with a knot on his head or something. Instead he came in with his lips quivering and saying Henry killed the bird. The egg had evidently broken in Henry’s hand while he was looking at it.
In the back of my mind, I was thinking things were going too good. Then I decided I had better take action. Henry had already run back outside while Hayden told me his side of the story. I finally made Hayden realize that Henry did not mean to hurt the egg. Since he was his guest, he was to go out and tell him he was sorry, and that he knew he was sorry that he broke the egg too.
That was all it took and they were best friends again. It was about five minutes later that Hayden asked me the day’s date so he would know when the bird died. Then they asked me for two magic markers. The next thing I knew they had buried the egg, made a marker out of wood, put the day of its death on the wood and made a flag with a wine cork and stick. They each agreed to hold a memorial every year on March 31. Hayden even put a solar light up next to the grave to mark it.
I was amazed at the maturity that finally came out of these two. How two little 7-year-old boys would feel this deeply for something so insignificant to others and to even have the knowledge to mark the day of its death and to think of a memorial for the next year nearly blew me away. It was worth getting interrupted during a UK Final Four game.
Kentucky won and it was a beautiful night. I had fun listening to the conversations of two little 7-year-old boys. Since they had been so good most of the night, I even let them stay up late. After all, their parents were getting them the next day.
