Getting up and being me!

My boy J - he's a pretty talented boy. Very unassuming, very humble and very natural.

He's an artist. He's very musical, loves to dance and has what an adjudicator once said 'A very natural ability to act - he might not even realize why he can do it. He just can.'

And yes - the kid is clueless to his abilities. Because it is so natural, he's very nonchalant about it.

At Christmas - he turned down the teacher's request to play Joseph. He preferred to work backstage. And when I sternly talked to him about missing out on an opportunity he said to me: But Mom, I've played Joseph before. I thought other kids deserved the chance.

(I'm a very small person...)

This past weekend, his teacher called and asked if he would take a part in the school play. A child had to drop out suddenly and the play goes up this Friday. He got the script on Sunday, by Monday had learned his lines and blocking and performed in front of the school today. The teacher was so grateful for his help and raved about him.

When I asked J why he hadn't tried out for the play in the first place, he said: eh, I didn't feel like having to learn all those lines. And when he came home from rehearsal saying he'd had so much fun - I reminded him that maybe he had so much fun he should have joined in the first place? And he said: What a second - are you trying to make me feel guilty?

(I'm a very small person and he's very observant...)

But the thing about J is that he is so incredibly comfortable with who he is. He knows he's a little off the map, everyone in his class, all his teachers, they know he's a pretty unique kid and everyone loves him for it. But J - loves it even more.

As we sit around the supper table in the evening, we have a tradition of saying what our favourite part of the day was. A few weeks ago, J smiled that goofy grin and said: Well, my favourite part of the day? ... was just getting up and being me.

He's going to be just fine.