A and J were with me for the holidays.Bethsheba spent three days with us amidst the hullabulla of her own demanding and busy life.It was wonderful to have her's and Andy's wise presence in my disorganised life , for a short time.They left their children for a week with me.
J and A were a healing presence ,a little surprising for children of their age.They would get up in the morning,have their quiet time,make the chai which J was an expert in,eat their breakfast,go for VBS in the church.The afternoons were spent on their fours on the floor colouring different posters for our wards and we would invariably end the days with stories from my growing up years,a bible reading and prayer together before we would call it a day.
Yesterday by the time I reached home ,they had soaked the dal,cut potatoes,onions,tomatoes and were ready to plunge it into the hot oil even as they looked into their note-pad for their mother's recipe.
We cooked the meal delicious in it's simplicity and company.
Having the children here with me adds a new and delightful dimension in my life.
It is fascinating to have children around us and try and work out how the culture around them is shaping them.I spent a whole evening painting a poster of Jesus' different names with oil crayons with them.It was impressive just observing their know-how in the art of colours and the dynamics involved in poster making.
The only time I remember painting a poster that was selected for my school magazine was a naive poster of the sun-flower and me against the back-drop of a mountain-very revealing of the psychology of the child that was in me.I must have been six then and the principal who was a wise and lovely man selected the poster of a gigantic me with a huge sun-flower and mountains in the back-drop.The psychologists today would have a field day just looking at the poster.Children today would laugh at the proportions.
I spent one whole evening repeating and enacting a nursery rhyme with children all the way from two years to nine years old.Was it a waste of time?-No,we were best friends by the end of it.
It was enlightening to see the youngsters flipping through their thought process to make concious choices about any action they were to undertake.They would independantly make a choice to be a blessing in their quiet way and I would have to give the credit to the parents for bringing up such fine children.
I can confess truthfully that I learnt the art of making concious choices to be a blessing ,in freedom, very late in life and there is so much release in it.
I pray that the children may recognise this gift and develop this further...no doubt they will be great assets for the kingdom.
J and A were a healing presence ,a little surprising for children of their age.They would get up in the morning,have their quiet time,make the chai which J was an expert in,eat their breakfast,go for VBS in the church.The afternoons were spent on their fours on the floor colouring different posters for our wards and we would invariably end the days with stories from my growing up years,a bible reading and prayer together before we would call it a day.
Yesterday by the time I reached home ,they had soaked the dal,cut potatoes,onions,tomatoes and were ready to plunge it into the hot oil even as they looked into their note-pad for their mother's recipe.
We cooked the meal delicious in it's simplicity and company.
Having the children here with me adds a new and delightful dimension in my life.
It is fascinating to have children around us and try and work out how the culture around them is shaping them.I spent a whole evening painting a poster of Jesus' different names with oil crayons with them.It was impressive just observing their know-how in the art of colours and the dynamics involved in poster making.
The only time I remember painting a poster that was selected for my school magazine was a naive poster of the sun-flower and me against the back-drop of a mountain-very revealing of the psychology of the child that was in me.I must have been six then and the principal who was a wise and lovely man selected the poster of a gigantic me with a huge sun-flower and mountains in the back-drop.The psychologists today would have a field day just looking at the poster.Children today would laugh at the proportions.
I spent one whole evening repeating and enacting a nursery rhyme with children all the way from two years to nine years old.Was it a waste of time?-No,we were best friends by the end of it.
It was enlightening to see the youngsters flipping through their thought process to make concious choices about any action they were to undertake.They would independantly make a choice to be a blessing in their quiet way and I would have to give the credit to the parents for bringing up such fine children.
I can confess truthfully that I learnt the art of making concious choices to be a blessing ,in freedom, very late in life and there is so much release in it.
I pray that the children may recognise this gift and develop this further...no doubt they will be great assets for the kingdom.
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