Kids Say the Darndest Things

Last Sunday, in between services, I paused ever so briefly for coffee and a deep breath of cool autumn air in our courtyard. One of our young children was on the play-set and Dad was watching.

“Who is he today,” I asked, because his child was clearly in a world unto himself.

“These days, he mostly been a tortoise,” Dad offered.

A tortoise. All week, I’ve been a race car driver, a rocket ship pilot, a marathon runner in high gear. A tortoise. Slow down. Enjoy the view. Practice breathing. Don’t forget to exhale. Yes.

And then after leading ECC chapel on Monday, another child. Ingrid, our youth director, met me in the lower hall outside the courtyard door. One of the young ones from chapel was standing at the door.

“How was chapel?” Ingrid asked the little guy.

He got this big smile on his face and began jumping up and down. Didn’t say anything, just jumped, over and over again, grinning wider on each jump.

“Don’t you wish folks would react like that after Sunday services?” Ingrid laughed.

Indeed.