Growing up with strong Christian values, the idea of reincarnation is not something that I put a great deal of thought into. I mean, there would be discussion around reincarnation – but it was often framed more as a consequence to some event.
Before I go any further and to make sure we are on the same page, below is a brief definition of reincarnation:
Reincarnation is the philosophical or religious concept that an aspect of a living being starts a new life in a different physical body or form after each biological death. – Wikipedia.
When a friend would squish a bug or an insect, another was quick to respond, “I sure hope that it doesn’t get reincarnated into something that can find you.” In this often-employed passage from my youth, the idea of reincarnation was utilized as a manner to seek revenge for an unfortunate event. It was a consequence.
Over the past few months, however, I have actually started to wonder if reincarnation might have some merit in today’s world.
Or at least my world.
Meet Lloyd Julius
Lloyd Julius was born May 26, 1915. While still in the prime of his life, he went on date with Emma Mae. The two were eventually married in 1940. They ended up having four children – three survived, one unfortunately did not. One of their daughter’s (Jacquelyn) married her high school sweetheart (John) and they had two children together. The youngest of those two children was me.
Lloyd Julius was my grandfather.
I was extremely fortunate to spend a great deal of time with Lloyd Julius – since I was born in 1967 and he did not pass away until 2001. For a very long period of time during my youth, I would enjoy most Friday nights at his home. My grandparents were the best and they made life so much better through their love and devotion.
They were the type of people who always strived to help others – placing the needs of others before their own priorities. They did whatever was needed for their family, with Lloyd Julius logging millions of miles driving a semi-tractor for decades to support his family.
Most importantly (to me), both Lloyd Julius and Emma Mae provided an example of true love that I have admired and inspired to have my entire life. As far back as I can remember, I have wanted my relationship to mirror the greatness they defined as a couple. In fact, my relationship with Nicole certainly parallels so many of the amazing qualities that my grandparents maintained.
Lloyd Julius passed away in 2001.
Meet Phoenix Williams
Phoenix Williams was born August 4, 2017. His mother (Nicole) is a beautiful woman – both with her physical appearance and her amazing heart/soul. In the 4 years and 8 months that I have known her, I have truly realized just how blessed I am that our paths crossed.
As you might realize, Phoenix Williams is my son.
Most of the time, we call him Finn … as well as Bubba, Bubsa, Bubsy, Little Bubba … and several other nicknames.
In the entire time Finn has been alive, I have been fortunate to spend a great deal of time with him. In the early days of his life, I would wake up to begin my work day – seeing him and Nicole sharing the sectional as a result of Finn needing some TLC through the night time hours. More recently, I visit his bedroom after he wakes up – watching him play in his crib before starting his day.
Our family time together features: taking walks, playing in the basement, exploring new foods (he is starting to eat real food now), swimming in the pool, spending time with his sister (Syd) and brother (Eric), bath time and (of course) rocking him to sleep as he prepares for another exciting day.
There is so much more, but I am sure you get the gist of our life together.
The Last Few Months
For the last few months, Finn has really started to demonstrate more of his personality. Since he isn’t really communicating verbally all that much yet, he uses his body language to communicate – often leveraging signs he has learned from watching the Baby Signing Time series on Amazon Prime.
In the past few months, I have noticed the frequency of traits that Finn exhibits that mirror traits I remember from Lloyd Julius.
At first, I would see something, but I wouldn’t bring it up to Nicole.
Then, as we noticed that Finn’s complexion, hair color and eye color is not really a match for either of us, I began to realize how his build, complexion, hair color and eye color matches that of my grandfather. That led me to bring up every time Finn would do something that reminds me of my grandfather.
Some key points:
- Finn will stop and look at me with the very same manner that my grandfather would, as if he is tuned in to everything I am saying and nothing else is more important at that moment.
- Finn collapses his hands together, when he is between tasks – just like my grandfather would often do.
- Finn waits for the right moment to smile and respond with a chuckle in the very same way that I recall my grandfather doing. He is already doing whatever he can to make things better for those around him.
These are just three examples, but on a daily basis I have been bringing up such items to Nicole as they occur. The frequency has increased as Finn continues to grow.
My Theory on Reincarnation
My grandfather was an amazing soul. He led a life devoted to his faith and to helping others. After logging endless miles to pay the bills, he arrived home to fill the role of a loving husband and a supporting father. He also taught Sunday School at his church until those final years of his life where he was no longer able to volunteer.
Seeing my son maintain a physical resemblance to my beloved grandfather and now begin to exhibit personality traits, I wonder if somehow reincarnation does really exist. Could it be that all of the amazing souls are returned to this earth, perhaps living in the hearts of the lucky few born with Down syndrome? Their reward, for being so amazing, is to have the opportunity to walk this planet again – continuing to spread their love and joy for everyone around them.
As someone who has spent an entire career in the field of Information Technology, I do not maintain the skills and abilities to prove/disprove my theory. However, I am amazed when I see Finn exhibiting behaviors of my grandfather – who passed away 16 years before my son was born.
Conclusion
While I am not sure my theory on reincarnation has much merit, I am thrilled to see my son exhibit traits of one of the most amazing people I have met in my life. I suspect these similarities will continue, leading Finn toward a life filled with love, devotion and a focus on helping others.
As a parent, I could not be more pleased to witness this reality.
Have a really great day!!!
J. Vester 