Good morning!

This morning Annie and I divided and conquered: Luke came to the office with me and Sophie went with her. When Luke and Sophie are together, no matter the parent, they always find lots of interesting things to do. More often than not, they end up asking lots of questions or finding new explorations - either way, their caregiver is taken off the task at hand. Luke went to visit a parishioner with me - one who has a pond, with lots of frogs. I don't really need to tell you that when we left he came to the car with one of the slimy creatures! Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not fearful of amphibians; I just don't think it would be appropriate to go back to the church with one in the pocket. After little resistance, he returned the animal to its watery habitat and we were off. On the way back, he couldn't stop talking about how much he learned from them - how slimy they were, how many of them were in the water, how quickly they move when they spot a grasshopper...Maybe we have something to learn from frogs? Maybe we could learn from an eight year old how to observe and respond?

On Saturday and Sunday, we heard again from John 6 (this time, vv.35, 41-51). I know it may seem boring to us adults who have heard enough of Jesus, "I am the bread of life", but I wonder how much of our child's curiosity we have lost because of our need to fulfill personal desires? As my son observed and learned from the frog he caught, he willingly shared all he could with me. Of course, he has a deep desire to know his world, but he doesn't see himself merely individually - he shares all he learns (whether anyone really wants to know how slimy a frog is!). It's almost like he cannot help himself - that info just spills out as quickly as it goes in!

Today it occurred to me that perhaps we adults want too much control over our "environment" whereas children are content to reflect and share. I wonder what life would look like if you and I acted in the same way? Well, what do you think?

Peace,
Tim