We had Vacation Bible School recently and I had the honor of teaching the 3-5 year old class and believe you me you've got to keep those little minds busy every single minute, or total chaos erupts and then you are in real trouble. Other than the crafts, which by the way they love, love, love to paint, was story time and it amazed me so how they actually soaked in the Bible story and could remember the details of it the next night while reviewing it. One story in particular really grabbed their attention and that was the story of Jesus feeding the multitudes and how there was still so much leftover. They enjoyed making their own fishing poles and "pretend" fishing to help Jesus out. I'm thinking perhaps in their little minds they were truly fishing and bringing in the "big" catch. Such joy.
Then my grand daughter had her first recital. She was so cute in her little costume and when she spotted us in the crowd...such a big smile and little waves galore. I'm sure for that night, in her mind, she was the princess of gymnastics/dance and no other could compare.
This takes me back to my own children and when they were 3, Joshua the oldest loved watching King Arthur and one day after watching it for the 100th time he came to me and asked.."Momma is hail a bad word"...hmmm I thought about it for a minute then I explained to him there were several definitions for this word. I preceded to explain there was "Hail" like praising a King, then there was "hail" that fell from the sky like ice, then there was "Hell" like where the devil lived. Not bad at all I thought to myself...he was satisfied and off to watch King Arthur again for the 101st time. Then much to my surprise one day while his daddy was driving in awful traffic, out of the mouth of my sweet little 3 year old came, "what the hell King Arthur is going on around here". So much for that one!
Then my next son, Adam was fascinated with Super Man, and for the entire 3rd year of his life he dressed in his Super Man p.j.'s with his blankie tied around his neck, and I even had to slick his hair back with the curvy thing going on right down the middle of his forehead! In that little 3 year old mind...HE WAS...Superman!
Cory, the last one to come into my life was indeed a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, right down to the costume and the spiked hair, and every picture for that year he was in that costume and poised just like his little mind remembered the famous Turtle's.
Now we're down to the "grand". Finally after all the boys we have a precious little girl, and her 3 year old mind is now filled with princess's and castles. Not to long ago during one of her stays with Mima and Papa, while I was getting showered and dressed she was sitting at my make-up table playing with her brushes while getting her own "makeup" on, then without me knowing and much to my surprise she squeals and says, "Look....I look just like Mima"!!!!
Papa laughs and I think....hmmmm perhaps, Mima needs to go back to beauty school 101!!
I pray...Lord help me to be a better influence for all those around me.
