2D DJ (who has survived seven days in a home with three boys who snicker when they pronounce his name “Tooty DJ”) is one week old today!
And seven days into his life as a laminated, foam-backed flat figure, his arm is ¾ of the way ripped from its foam socket, his “skin” has already “fallen off his skeleton” (thank you for that urgent announcement that brought you tearing through our kitchen this week, Superhero 2 — we love your compassion that translates even to inanimate objects created at Staples) and we have already busted out the Kraggle, our cure-all for all things Lego and life. (A few minor injuries are no match for our PA, who re-adheres skin and reattaches arms — even flat ones — like a champ. :))
This flat figure of the little boy we’re hosting in less than one month has lived a FULL (and not-so-gently-carried-around) life. He’s not only attended two birthday parties (where he nailed him some “Just Dance” poses from his place on the video game truck) —
he’s also visited three different grocery stores (because that’s apparently how many trips each week it takes to fill one fridge during the summer with ravenous boys),
sat at a ticket table at our church (pretty sure I sold more tickets to the local baseball game simply because people wanted to get close enough to stare without seeming rude)
and gone everywhere from the passport photo office to Grandma’s pool with a smile that never fades.
On Monday, 2D DJ even attended an event sponsored by our local MOPS group to raise money for our church’s adoption ministry — an event held at an indoor playland, where our littler boys towed their flat host brother by the neck through tunnels and slides, and two adorable toddler girls then commandeered him for their own morning-long bouncy house play.
(No, we have no idea how 2D DJ broke his arm in this haven of gentle hands and feet.)
Through these public adventures, this gracious, amiable figure has done what we may not have been able to do as easily in public settings — he’s initiated the conversation. With customers at the grocery store. With parents at the playland. With attendees at one of the birthday parties, where I was able to share DJ’s story and hand out 15 different cards — several to people who then wanted to attend DJ’s birthday party next month and meet him in 3D version.
2D DJ may seem like a silly flat figure for a grown woman and her kids to carry around all day long, but after one week, HE has been the greatest advocate of all for his 3D counterpart.
And the thing is — the more opportunities we have to tell DJ’s story, the more opportunities we get to share the bigger ORPHAN STORY.
Because it’s not just DJ’s story we want to rewrite; it’s the story of 600,000 children in China in desperate need of forever families.
2D DJ is just a fun, easy, light-hearted introduction to this hard, heavy topic. His ambassadorship opens the conversation in ways that a pushy advocating mama just can’t. (Somehow a flat figure of a little boy in the front seat of a grocery cart makes a gentler introduction than, “Excuse me, did you know there’s a worldwide orphan crisis and YOU can be part of the solution? But only if you stop standing in this 12-items-or-less line with your 13 items, please and thank you.”)
Besides that, he keeps all of us joyfully soldiering on while we wait this last never-ending month for our superhero-in-waiting to arrive. (It’s hard to count down TWICE.)
So hang in there, 2D DJ, because in 26 more days, we promise to give you an eternal resting place in the land of quiet and peace — a sacred place called “our closet” where little boys are not allowed and your arms will forever remain attached to the rest of your body.
One week down, three and a half more to go. :)
#ChangeDJsStory