Right now, putting my kids in charge of the country would go a lot further than the politicians who have made a wreck of just about everything in their attempts to out-do each other with power grabs. Because kids see the reality of things without even trying. And they’re not interested in votes.
Last week, I took each of the kids out one morning with me for my morning walk. I usually walk down to the park that is about a mile down the road, walk around the path circling the pond a few times and come back home. While even politicians can’t stop the beauty of spring from arriving, they’ve made their best attempts at making everything else look completely un-American. Big chains and bolts locking up the tennis courts, basketball courts, and baseball fields. The playground and gazebo taped up like crime scenes. And making me wonder when I left the country my forefathers fought for and moved to Communist Russia. Only the geese look free.
I was pretty sure what Emry would say when she saw the changes at the park, but I wasn’t sure what Ethan would have to say. I was more afraid he would insist on playing on the playground despite the yellow tape, ending our walk in a torrent of tears. Instead, he took one look at the playground and cried out, “Mama! They’ve tied up the playground! Like a bad guy!”
Yes, it takes a three-year-old to point out how ridiculous our world has become.
When Emry saw the taped up playground, she didn’t say much. She noticed the yellow tape, but she was focused on the geese and ducks playing in the pond and didn’t say a lot. Later, as we were but a few blocks from home, she noted the playground at the school not far from our house. I used to take the kids down there now and then when school wasn’t in session. While they haven’t taped up the whole playground, there is some tape and now Emry asked about it. She knows there is a sickness going around which is why nothing is open and we can hardly go anywhere, but this time I added that it isn’t really the sickness that is closing down playgrounds. After all, there is a lot of sickness in this world all the time. But people are just scared. They’re very scared.
I waited to see what she would say about that, trying to guess and prep for an answer. But I certainly didn’t anticipate her response.
“Mama,” she stated thoughtfully, “they’re scared because they don’t know Jesus. We need to tell them about Jesus.”
I didn’t say anything after that. I mean, really, what is left to be said?
No comments:
Post a Comment