A Story about GOD's HANDS told by Papa J

Last Monday I picked Patrick up at school. It was my first time to do so and I was reluctant to leave – his after school counselors had all the youngsters outside on a beautiful fall day playing tag on the outdoor basketball court. I was able to watch from a short distance for a few minutes before Patrick noticed me and he was having a great time – interacting with the other children as if he had known them all his life.

We got in the car, I got him buckled in and as I was backing out of our parking spot, out of the blue he says, “So, Papa J – how was YOUR day?” This does not come as a surprise as he regularly tells me he loves me and asks about my day, but I am still amazed that, without any prompting, he asks how my day went.

A few minutes later, we are driving down a busy 82nd Street and he says, “Papa J, just how big are God’s hands?” Like I’m ready for this one. So I told him that God’s hands were really big as he had to be able to reach all the way around the world. He thought about that for a minute, then asked how long his legs were……..I managed to stumble through that one and then he asked me how long God’s arms were. By now I had a little rhythm going so I said, “Well Patrick, his arms must really long because remember he has to be able to cover the whole world.” Reasonable enough I thought. I’m looking in my “Patrick mirror” and he is just gazing out his passenger window and you literally could see the wheels turning. After a couple of more minutes, just kind of humming and looking out the window, he said,” I see, God has really big hands and really long arms so he can reach down and fix trouble and help people who need it.” All I could say was, “Patrick that is exactly how it is.”

For someone whose deepest thoughts until about the age of 16 dealt with what time recess was or what the next snack would be, I am amazed at some of the things he thinks about and his ability to express himself.