Yesterday I went to Baskin-Robbins. On the 31st of each month they offer ice cream scoops for $1.31 each. I got two scoops for less than $3.00, when normally they would be almost $4. I went because I happened to be in the town (1 hour south of me), I happened to remember the deal, and I love ice cream! What surprised me was that the place was packed! And I was the youngest person in the room by at least 10 years. Three couples were easily late 80s or early 90s. A gift for those on fixed incomes. The ability to treat themselves, and to feel like kids again, choosing from the multiple options available. There was laughter, giggling, and the sharing of bites from one person to another.
Jesus said that unless we become as little children we will never grasp what the Kingdom of Heaven is all about. I think I got a glimpse of that yesterday in that room. Joy, laughter, sharing, just being together in one space and celebrating that ability. Under the best of circumstances that is how children behave in groups. They aren't looking at how they are different, they are just looking at what they can accomplish together. Can they create a new world in the mud puddle? Can they climb that tree? Can they ford that stream? Can they curl their tongues or trill their Rs? They aren't interested in politics or ethnicity, although they might ask about differences in hair or clothing, or in most of the other things we adults use to separate and categorize. Jesus was right. We could learn a lot from kids.
Things get in the way, O God. Life becomes a series of requests, demands, questions, schedules. We judge one another by a myriad of visual and auditory cues. We are so weighed down by the seriousness of life that we often fail to see or experience the joy. Let us learn from the children around us how to live our lives in joy and celebration. Let us look to today and everyday with hope, and to rejoice in the little things.....Amen
Jesus said that unless we become as little children we will never grasp what the Kingdom of Heaven is all about. I think I got a glimpse of that yesterday in that room. Joy, laughter, sharing, just being together in one space and celebrating that ability. Under the best of circumstances that is how children behave in groups. They aren't looking at how they are different, they are just looking at what they can accomplish together. Can they create a new world in the mud puddle? Can they climb that tree? Can they ford that stream? Can they curl their tongues or trill their Rs? They aren't interested in politics or ethnicity, although they might ask about differences in hair or clothing, or in most of the other things we adults use to separate and categorize. Jesus was right. We could learn a lot from kids.
Things get in the way, O God. Life becomes a series of requests, demands, questions, schedules. We judge one another by a myriad of visual and auditory cues. We are so weighed down by the seriousness of life that we often fail to see or experience the joy. Let us learn from the children around us how to live our lives in joy and celebration. Let us look to today and everyday with hope, and to rejoice in the little things.....Amen
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