About Arthur

Saturday afternoon, 04 August 2007. It was an extra ordinary day. I finally was able to meet some of my high school friends.  One of the girls of the nineties gang, had invited me to her daughter birthday party. Therefore, I met some of my friends … with their kids!
Some have only one child, but some other have three or more. Seeing this kids was reminding me about how old I am right now. At the same time, I felt also happy to see them since I felt like an uncle to almost every kids that I met that day. Their parents introduced myself to them by saying that word too. They said, “Say something to Uncle Buddy…” or “please say your name to Uncle …” and words that similar like these.
But, it did not make that day extra ordinary before I met a new friend of mine, name: Arthur. He is a son of my closest friends, Henry and Yenny. Henry befriended with me since high schools. People around us acknowledged that we were too close that made them asked if one of us appeared to go somewhere alone. They would say to me: “where is Henry?” Yenny became the other friend soon after she appeared to the friendship we had. I did not know whether this relationship could explain my extra ordinary experience with Arthur that evening. But, I considered there should be a connection about it.
I came early to meet Yenny and Henry that afternoon instead of going by myself to the party. That was my first meeting with their son. Two years ago when I left to Chuuk, Arthur still slept in his mommy’s womb. He did not blink when he saw me. He easily smiled and asked me to play with him. He did not show that he was shy or scared. He just easily befriended with me. His mommy wondered about it. She said, “He acts so different with you. He used to be shy and afraid of a stranger.”
We went to the party together. Arthur constantly showed his interest with me. When we finally returned to his home, he even accepted to drink his milk from a bottle that I hold for him. I did it since he refused to do so with the help of his maid and his mom.
To conclude the event that night. Arthur finally should went upstair to his room and sleep. His mommy took him by the hand to go to his father and saying his goodnight. Arthur asked for a kiss from his father and Henry did it. But, before his mother took him, he intended to come to see me and did as same as he asked to his father. He was saying goodnight and asked me to kiss him.
At that moment, I felt shock. It was something that I did not ready to experience. It was not that I felt “stranger” to a little kid, but it was a very rare experience since it was a first time for me to meet him and he just easily showed his affection like he knew me for so long. It was so strange …
That night, after I returned home. I tried to reflect my thought about my experience with Arthur. I kept asking myself, what it was mean to the acceptance that he made?
I noticed from the annual retreat, I began to learn about God, who loved me so much like a father to his son. I reflect so many times, that I noticed and understand myself as a child that he loved.
Arthur suddenly opened up another side of this reflection. By showing me his affection, he shared and made me understand what makes God, The Father has a huge heart to love me. I began understand that God’s love came from a love that he accept from us too, his children. It is clear by now, that my love to him should be a part that needed to create such relation between me and the Father. Because Arthur loved me, I felt that I loved him too. I used to know that God is one who first love me, there fore that I should love him too. Now that I notice, the love itself is a source that make me become his love and his to mine.
I think Arthur just opened a side that I never discovered before. He just like his parent, become one of the closest friends that I had in my life, since he teach me to love.
        

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Tags: reflection