Yesterday, I got to teach Mason about sun beams. And more importantly, God's Love.
We were driving home from his orthodontist appointment, and I noticed the sun beaming through the clouds that would later bring torrential rain. The sky was that beautiful and special gray, white and sun beam yellow that you can't ignore. I pointed it out to him- it's hard to miss across the flat Texas terrain. I said "Look at the sunbeams". He seemed confused. I asked if he knew what a sunbeam was. He didn't. I explained that it is the sun, breaking through the clouds. I told him how I imagined that this is how it would look when Jesus comes back. He pondered that for a second, then said, "I wish I could give God a hug". Okay, heart, is mush, here, but I said, "Me too, and I wish I could GET a hug from God." About that time, the small hole where the sun hid, opened slightly, and sunlight flooded through. I said, "Look, God's giving us a hug!" and then, suddenly, just as spontaneously as it had opened, it closed again, and only small beams flowed through. Mason was quiet, and then said, "That was AWESOME!" pause. "That made me feel so good. That was the best part of my day!" "Me too." I replied.
I don't believe in coincidences.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Just Keep Swimming
Recently, Martin and I made our usual trip to Target. These trips are usually pretty expensive, and on this particular occasion, our cart was loaded with lots of extras. We were stocking up for our box for my latest and most favorite venture- www.soldiersangels.org. I have adopted a soldier that is deployed, and we are responsible for sending letters and/or care packages at least weekly- those who know me, know this is very near and dear to my heart, but I digress.
As we scooted our baby wipe, candy and goodie ridden cart up to the counter, I immediately noticed the teenager checking us out. She seemed, well, "more up tight than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs". We smiled, and asked how she was, and she said, "Oh, fine, good, I just have a lot going on". Wow. I immediately noticed that she looked about 17 and wondered what in the world she could be THIS stressed about. As I pondered this, said cashier began to mutter under her breath, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming" and suddenly, I thought I was dreaming. Really? Maybe we chose TOO many small items- she was clearly overwhelmed.... I began to explain that we were making these purchases for our soldier- through Soldier's Angels.org. Her ears seemed to perk up at this, and she pushed for more information. She said, "I'm the President of the Student Body, and maybe this would be a good project for us". I explained the details, and she looked a little disappointed as she said, "Well, that seems like a big commitment, I have so much on my plate already." I walked out feeling sorry for her, and Martin and I laughed a little as we pondered the future of a stressed out high school senior.
Whew. Just typing this wore me out. Seriously? Are kids today THIS stressed? I asked my Uncle Daniel, who is a youth pastor about this later, and he said, "Teenagers today are OVER SCHEDULED and UNDER CONNECTED." Here's hoping that the adult life of the Target check out girl is smooth sailing.
As we scooted our baby wipe, candy and goodie ridden cart up to the counter, I immediately noticed the teenager checking us out. She seemed, well, "more up tight than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs". We smiled, and asked how she was, and she said, "Oh, fine, good, I just have a lot going on". Wow. I immediately noticed that she looked about 17 and wondered what in the world she could be THIS stressed about. As I pondered this, said cashier began to mutter under her breath, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming" and suddenly, I thought I was dreaming. Really? Maybe we chose TOO many small items- she was clearly overwhelmed.... I began to explain that we were making these purchases for our soldier- through Soldier's Angels.org. Her ears seemed to perk up at this, and she pushed for more information. She said, "I'm the President of the Student Body, and maybe this would be a good project for us". I explained the details, and she looked a little disappointed as she said, "Well, that seems like a big commitment, I have so much on my plate already." I walked out feeling sorry for her, and Martin and I laughed a little as we pondered the future of a stressed out high school senior.
Whew. Just typing this wore me out. Seriously? Are kids today THIS stressed? I asked my Uncle Daniel, who is a youth pastor about this later, and he said, "Teenagers today are OVER SCHEDULED and UNDER CONNECTED." Here's hoping that the adult life of the Target check out girl is smooth sailing.
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