My Skinny on Skin

This evening Dad and big boy went to help someone move (I know, on Monday ~ sinful) so I took the rest of us to the swimming pool.  It was so lovely there.  There were only two other families so we essentially had all that space to ourselves.   Baby soon found a fountain to capture his attention and was happy to stay put for the duration of our stay.  I sat right behind him and started to observe his skin.  Have you seen baby skin lately?  His is translucent with a back that is still like velvet.  I began to contemplate about how all skin is pretty amazing.  I saw his skin mottle as it regulated his temperature and when he splashed he was covered with hundreds of tiny beads.  Upon landing, the drops stayed there on his water repellent shoulders instead of soaking in.  How wonderful that we don't get all soggy when we swim and bathe.  Another thing I have often marveled over with the children is that their owies never stay for long ~ our skin gets right to work healing and repairing itself.  And aren't we glad that it grows with us as we get bigger?  But even nicer if it would hold in the extra weight!  It is astounding that something as insignificant as its color ~ which doesn't effect functionality as far as I know ~ has created such chaos in the world.  I remember my first childhood encounter with Native American history and slavery and being ashamed of my skin.  I am grateful for the things that I learned at home and church that taught me that everyone is the same inside.  It never occurred to me to not like someone because of their skin.  I must admit, however, that I am sometimes culturally prejudiced.  Just tonight I ran into some very interesting people at the grocery store.  They weren't a different race than me, but I am fairly sure they were from a different PLANET.  I need to remember that they are children of God and that we are all just trying to do our best, living in our own skin.