Random Friday Musings

Fridays for me often used to be the kind of day where you feel, as Aunty Meryl would say, like you're running around in square circles. By the time the sun rolls over the horizon you just want to flop on the couch and sleep. But ever since I decided to work Sundays and make Friday my "day off," I've been enjoying Fridays a whole lot more.

Today felt so relaxed I almost couldn't believe it was Friday. Of course I did the usual chores and cleaning, but even those were enjoyable since I didn't have to rush. I also spent a couple hours preparing to teach Sabbath School tomorrow. I love teaching first graders! You don't have to think up clever discussion questions or devise speeches. Most of the preparation encompasses cutting stuff out and thinking up illustrations. My teaching aids for tomorrow include a pile of paper hearts, a glove, a pen, a camera, and a sheet of stickers. Fun!

Seeing as I got all of that done before lunch, I decided to spend the afternoon whipping up some kind of dessert for tomorrow. Lately I've been so busy there haven't been  many spare moments left for cooking. (With the exception of applesauce-making, which must be done, busy or not, otherwise certain members of this family would probably stage a revolt.) It's rather sad, since I just love experimenting in the kitchen. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed getting sticky and making a mess in there (yes, I cleaned it up)! Hopefully the end result is going to taste as good as it looks.

My family can be pretty crazy sometimes. I actually have a page in OneNote dedicated to the funny things they say. Today they provided me with quite a few laughs, and I thought I'd share one or two conversations here on the off-chance that someone else will find them amusing as well.

Conversation 1. Setting: Cousin Ashlie's room. I'm straightening her hair. Small cousin Ryan pokes his head inside, observes for a moment, and then remarks:

"Ashlie, your hair's smoking! *pause* You need to take it to a health expo." 

Exit Ryan, as he dashes, giggling, down the passage.

Conversation 2. Setting: The kitchen. Kyle has just poured us a glass of juice each.

Kyle: "There's tall and thin, and short and fat--which one do you want?"

Me (grinning mischievously): "Well the tall one's thin like me, but the fat one's short like me, so maybe I should take them both."

Kyle (raised eyebrows): "I'm afraid that would elicit an armed response."

~

And to top this Friday off, I even had time to write a blog post!

Adventures in Sabbath School

I had so much fun yesterday! I haven't spent as much quality time with a pair of scissors since cutting out a gazillion butterflies and flowers with Emily in September 2009. But yesterday  found me cutting out crowns and clouds, gluing "jewels," and coloring in animals, all in preparation for the Sabbath School class I taught today. I almost went outside and dug up a pile of sand, but in the end I decided the negatives of carting a bucket of sand to church outweighed the positives of the illustration.

Toting my arsenal of craft materials, I arrived at church this morning and found myself in charge of two bright-faced eager-eyed first graders. The chubby little girl's pony tail danced with her mouth when she talked. Which was pretty much non-stop. I don't think I managed to insert more than three sentences into her stream of "Can I tell you something?"s. The little boy was quieter, but his mischievous eyes and crooked grin tugged at my heart right away.

I won't bore you with a minute-by-minute description of my time with these two cuties. But I want to share two things that struck me: the trusting innocence and delighted enthusiasm of little children.

The trusting innocence of these two children amazed me. Since I live so far away from church and town, I don't have much opportunity to get to know everyone at church. Probably all these kids know about me is "the lady that sings up front in church." And yet not five minutes into the lesson they were answering questions, participating in activities, and "telling me something" as if they'd known me for years.  There was no doubt, no skepticism, no wariness. You're the fill-in teacher? Okay! I was implicitly trusted and believed.

Delighted enthusiasm. I love this fact about children! Their excitement reaches astronomical proportions over the simplest things. Everything is a game, an adventure, great fun. I still grin as I remember their excited nods, waving hands, and sparkling eyes when I asked if they were ready to listen to the story. (Of course, it was more like "Are you ready for the STORY?!?!?!") I asked them to close their eyes and imagine what heaven will be like. Their little eyelids pinched shut and their noses wrinkled in their effort to picture the scene I was describing. When I pulled out their shiny cardstock crowns, they laughed and accompanied their leaping feet with vigorous hand-clapping. When I told them to search the room for the paper animals I'd hidden away, they dashed around like hyperactive kittens, squealing with each new discovery. They enthusiastically threw their hearts into every activity.

Children are invaluably precious gems! I completely enjoyed the company of my two little students. What they don't know, though, is that they weren't the only ones who learned something. All day I've been reminded:

Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. ~Matthew 18:3