I got home from work early, and all of the kids were out in the street with the other Jensen kids riding bikes. Eventually, I went to get my bike to join them, and we biked around the neighborhood a bit. Jacob and Jack challenged Liam and me to a game of bicycle tag, so off they went, and Liam and I went for a ride to find them.
As we were biking, Liam got a little to close to a car and clipped the bumper. He was okay, though a little surprised. We went back and looked at the car and noticed a small area of chipped paint on the back corner of the car. The owner of the car was in his garage, so we went up to talk to him and let him know about the accident. Liam was pretty nervous about talking with him.
The man, whose name I learned is Steve, was very kind to Liam. He started telling Liam about the car ("did you know this car is even older than your dad?") and walking him around it. He looked at the chip and showed other scratches and chips in the paint. He taught the exact lesson I hoped to have Liam learn - that it is better to tell the truth. It was a great lesson that Liam taught.
Even more, it was a lesson in forgiveness. Here was a man who clearly loves his classic car, but when it comes to the feelings of a 5-year-old, who he doesn't even know, he was fast to forgive and to make Liam feel valued. It was a Christlike type of act that I will remember and be grateful for.
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