Naruto Knows: Lesson 1
If you are like me, and you have lost a child whom you have had the privilege of spending time and sharing memories with, then you will understand why I will spend the rest of my life searching for reminders of my son.
Looking for ANYTHING, all the precious parts that are my son - his story, his hopes, his dreams, his place in our family.
In my search for little nuggets,
the pieces of my son that I haven't quite seen before,
is a Japanese anime series that he watched every episode running at the time.
If it hadn't been translated to English yet, he would watch the Japanese version anyway.
The popular manga book series turned animated TV show, is called Naruto, which has over 700 episodes now.
He watched it with me a couple times and explained what was going on.
One of my favorite memories of Nathanael is
whenever he would try to explain something funny,
and I didn't get the joke,
he would walk away shaking his head at me, laughing.
Of course, I was a mom, and asked all the dumb questions:
"Why does he have whiskers on his face?"
Head shake. Smile... Spoilers!
That was a question I had to find out for myself.
So, as part of our healing process, and a tribute to Nathanael, we began watching the show.
I have learned quite a bit. But the story line is so complicated for an old goat like me, I can't remember all the characters. That doesn't stop me from learning a lot of the reasons why he loved to watch it so much. It is plum full of wisdom, you just have to know where to look.
The story is centered around a boy named Naruto Uzumaki, whose dream is to become Hokage, the leader of his village. It begins with Naruto and his peers attending classes to learn the ways of the ninja. There are many skills to learn, some are inherited, some may be stolen (but that's another story).
To learn their skills as an individual is one goal, but the most important part is to learn to get along with, and help their team. They are divided into teams of three, each one has a different skill set, that will most likely complement each others.
As you can imagine, three diverse young children trying to work together, and still learn on their own, while never abandoning their teammates, is an adventure in itself. As they get older, they learn to work with other teams on the same mission, adding even more skills to the team. That's when they actually become useful to the village and surrounding clans also, protecting the weak and fighting off those who would destroy the good people of the villages.
Where I am at in the series, his team has been through quite a few changes, and Team 7 is very effective in the protection of their people.
In the episode "Following the Master's Shadow" there is a monumental lesson,
which left me in tears, but I knew instantly it was special.
The teenage Naruto is mourning the loss of one of his trainers, Jiraiya,
a Master Sage and beloved teacher.
They have been through so much together, and now it's not the same without him.
He wants to be left alone, even when others try to cheer him up.
As he is slouching on a bench, a popsicle dripping down right along with his tears,
Iruka Sensei sits beside him to reminisce about all the good and bad times they had together.
He reminds Naruto that Jiraiya loved him like a grandson,
how he believed in his ability to excel,
and even to become a great leader someday.
The scene ends with Iruka taking the popsicle, splitting in half and sharing it with Naruto,
just like Jiraiya used to. (cue... tears)
Later, a fellow ninja, Shikamaru, stops by to check on Naruto.
He brings news that his teacher Jiraiya left a code
which no one is able understand, and only Naruto will be able to decipher it.
That isn't enough to interest the brokenhearted Naruto, however,
so they take a trip to the hospital to visit the widow of Shikamaru's Sensei,
where she tells Naruto that her husband's wish was for him to become their unborn child's teacher.
Shikamaru, who has already become a Sensei,
explains to Naruto that he understands what it's like to lose your master sensei
and he encourages Naruto to take what he has learned and share it with others.
By doing so, they are carrying on the legacy of wisdom, knowledge, and guidance learned from those gone before them.
Nathanael was a philosopher at heart.
His thoughts were deep, when he chose to share his bits of wisdom out loud!
If he had a favorite book in the Bible,
it would be a toss-up between Proverbs and Ecclesiates.
The books of wisdom.
That's where all his bookmarks are.
Whenever I read certain verses, I recall all those conversations we had about being wise and making the right choices and not following the crowd just to fit it in.
As parents we can learn so much from our children because they see life through different eyes than we do.
As children of our heavenly Father, we can learn so much when we ask Him to let us see life through His eyes.
I may still do things that would cause my son to smile and shake his head.
But I also know that when I listen to the voice of Wisdom,
I will be doing things that make the Father of all Wisdom smile and shake His head -
I can almost hear the whisper - "I knew you'd get it sooner or later."
So, as I learn and relearn the ways of Wisdom, and relearn all over again...
I must take what I know, to become more like the Teacher.
Then it is my turn to pass on what I have learned to others.
The best way to honor our loved ones, is to carry the torch that is still lit within our hearts,
lighting the world with the everlasting, living word of God.
Looking for ANYTHING, all the precious parts that are my son - his story, his hopes, his dreams, his place in our family.
In my search for little nuggets,
the pieces of my son that I haven't quite seen before,
is a Japanese anime series that he watched every episode running at the time.
If it hadn't been translated to English yet, he would watch the Japanese version anyway.
The popular manga book series turned animated TV show, is called Naruto, which has over 700 episodes now.
He watched it with me a couple times and explained what was going on.
One of my favorite memories of Nathanael is
whenever he would try to explain something funny,
and I didn't get the joke,
he would walk away shaking his head at me, laughing.
Of course, I was a mom, and asked all the dumb questions:
"Why does he have whiskers on his face?"
Head shake. Smile... Spoilers!
That was a question I had to find out for myself.
So, as part of our healing process, and a tribute to Nathanael, we began watching the show.
I have learned quite a bit. But the story line is so complicated for an old goat like me, I can't remember all the characters. That doesn't stop me from learning a lot of the reasons why he loved to watch it so much. It is plum full of wisdom, you just have to know where to look.
The story is centered around a boy named Naruto Uzumaki, whose dream is to become Hokage, the leader of his village. It begins with Naruto and his peers attending classes to learn the ways of the ninja. There are many skills to learn, some are inherited, some may be stolen (but that's another story).
To learn their skills as an individual is one goal, but the most important part is to learn to get along with, and help their team. They are divided into teams of three, each one has a different skill set, that will most likely complement each others.
As you can imagine, three diverse young children trying to work together, and still learn on their own, while never abandoning their teammates, is an adventure in itself. As they get older, they learn to work with other teams on the same mission, adding even more skills to the team. That's when they actually become useful to the village and surrounding clans also, protecting the weak and fighting off those who would destroy the good people of the villages.
Where I am at in the series, his team has been through quite a few changes, and Team 7 is very effective in the protection of their people.
In the episode "Following the Master's Shadow" there is a monumental lesson,
which left me in tears, but I knew instantly it was special.
The teenage Naruto is mourning the loss of one of his trainers, Jiraiya,
a Master Sage and beloved teacher.
They have been through so much together, and now it's not the same without him.
He wants to be left alone, even when others try to cheer him up.
As he is slouching on a bench, a popsicle dripping down right along with his tears,
Iruka Sensei sits beside him to reminisce about all the good and bad times they had together.
He reminds Naruto that Jiraiya loved him like a grandson,
how he believed in his ability to excel,
and even to become a great leader someday.
The scene ends with Iruka taking the popsicle, splitting in half and sharing it with Naruto,
just like Jiraiya used to. (cue... tears)
Later, a fellow ninja, Shikamaru, stops by to check on Naruto.
He brings news that his teacher Jiraiya left a code
which no one is able understand, and only Naruto will be able to decipher it.
That isn't enough to interest the brokenhearted Naruto, however,
so they take a trip to the hospital to visit the widow of Shikamaru's Sensei,
where she tells Naruto that her husband's wish was for him to become their unborn child's teacher.
Shikamaru, who has already become a Sensei,
explains to Naruto that he understands what it's like to lose your master sensei
and he encourages Naruto to take what he has learned and share it with others.
By doing so, they are carrying on the legacy of wisdom, knowledge, and guidance learned from those gone before them.
Nathanael was a philosopher at heart.
His thoughts were deep, when he chose to share his bits of wisdom out loud!
If he had a favorite book in the Bible,
it would be a toss-up between Proverbs and Ecclesiates.
The books of wisdom.
That's where all his bookmarks are.
Whenever I read certain verses, I recall all those conversations we had about being wise and making the right choices and not following the crowd just to fit it in.
As parents we can learn so much from our children because they see life through different eyes than we do.
As children of our heavenly Father, we can learn so much when we ask Him to let us see life through His eyes.
I may still do things that would cause my son to smile and shake his head.
But I also know that when I listen to the voice of Wisdom,
I will be doing things that make the Father of all Wisdom smile and shake His head -
I can almost hear the whisper - "I knew you'd get it sooner or later."
So, as I learn and relearn the ways of Wisdom, and relearn all over again...
I must take what I know, to become more like the Teacher.
Then it is my turn to pass on what I have learned to others.
The best way to honor our loved ones, is to carry the torch that is still lit within our hearts,
lighting the world with the everlasting, living word of God.
I know I do not understand the reason for so many things in this life,
But I know who holds my heart, my family here on earth with me,
and the family I can no longer hold in my arms.
My job is just to trust and be still.
↝ Stories from the journey of my life ↜ written by: Sue Leerhoff ↝ follow me on my Facebook page ↜ - Brick by Brick
But I know who holds my heart, my family here on earth with me,
and the family I can no longer hold in my arms.
My job is just to trust and be still.
↝ Stories from the journey of my life ↜ written by: Sue Leerhoff ↝ follow me on my Facebook page ↜ - Brick by Brick
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