Pulling Weeds

My friend Karen, who is wonderful for many many reasons, came over the other day to help me pull weeds from my flower beds.  She is a master at landscaping, beating me at tennis, and encouraging everyone who knows her.  A blessing, for sure.  While we picked we talked about our dreams and fears for our kids.  Both of us have heavy hearts and big questions for each of our kids right now and it seemed right to share those while we dug in the dirt under a bright Texas sun.  When we did as much as we could do without a weed eater or mower, we stood together with dirt and sweat between us and prayed out loud for our kids and for each other as moms.  Then we wiped our tears, hugged, and rushed off to what was next.
One of my favorite things about being a Christian is this beautiful reality that other people love my kids, and help Doug and I point them to embracing in FULL the love of God. Besides Karen and her prayers, Pam and Berwyn have done that each Sunday this year during Sunday School and other times they pour their deep kindness into their little flock of 5th graders.  I swear one of the reasons we moved here was for our twins to spend an hour or more a week with these two real-life saints.

I find myself praying this for the twins often...that they will be sharpened by others (Prov. 27:17) - teachers, family, friends, coaches, etc. who love them and help them pull the weeds out of the gardens of their thoughts, dreams, plans (Phil.1:27).  People who will help them be like big trees planted by rivers of living water who bear fruit (Psalm 1:1-3) and thrive, with deep roots (Col.2:7) that hold them steady and strong.
I need them and so do the twins.  There are only so many weeds 2 hands can pull.
 

You smell like church

Most of what we learn is unconscious - and the rest we learn through our senses. So that means good teaching is first, modeling, and second, ALWAYS considering multi-modalities...teaching so that they see it, hear it, do it.  John Dewey was right learning = experience.
I was reminded of this yesterday when I walked into the school cafeteria to greet my learners for the day. 7 year old Larisa jumped up and gave me a huge hug which resulted in her face being smashed into my tummy.  She pulled back and smiled...then in her front toothless, African American vernacular ,she said, "you smell just like church".  I stepped back,"Did you say I smell like church?" "That's right - you been to church? cuz you smell just like church."  I thought about that for a second and hugged her, "No one has ever said that to me before - thank you! That is the best compliment anyone has given me in a long time!"
We talked on Sunday and Wednesday with the kids about how Jesus, after being celebrated and honored with a parade of "Hosanna!"s immediately left the cheers and went to a small room, knelt down, and washed the mud and grim off the disciples' feet.  I am pretty sure that did not smell great, but I know the disciples learned a lesson they never forgot...and here's hoping we don't either.  Being the church means serving. Being a good teacher means kneeling down and hugging, wiping away tears, showing what it means to be kind, and being the person that each student needs... and wants to be like.
One of the classes I was in this week as a sub was pretty difficult.  Lots of behavior issues, which means emotional and physical needs bigger than the kids. As I got in the car to leave school that day, I thought about the teacher of those God-created kiddos and prayed for her...knowing that the next day she would be kneeling down and serving, smelling like the church.