On Tuesday night, to please me, Ian agreed to join us for the church's new middle school VBS program. I want to briefly note that Ian has been noticeably more agreeable of late. It may be related to his unspoken guilt over the cell phone. It may be a means for escaping the rats in the basement, or perhaps he wants something big and he's buttering me up. Regardless, with only a small amount of grumbling about having to sing the songs with which we start each night, he came along.
The too-cool-for-pews middle schoolers don't have to sit with the "little kids" in the main sanctuary. Instead, they get to literally look down on them from the heights of the balcony. And on Tuesday night, when I looked up to see whether Ian had sneaked in his Nintendo DS and was otherwise engaged with it, I was delighted to see him in the front row of the balcony, singing, clapping, doing the hand movements, and dancing, all with a tremendous smile on his face. Of course when I asked him to join us again last night he complained that it "wasn't fun," but I had seen proof to the contrary and he couldn't deny it.
While Ian's VBS experience was a testament to how truly awesome our program is, it was also a reminder that there are some things, if you're living right, that you never outgrow:
- Fist pumping and dancing to VBS songs with 100+ kids ages 3 to 12 (join me tonight and see if you can resist!)
- Riding a bicycle downhill without putting on the brakes
- Eating a lollipop
- Watching fireworks
- Following dolphins in the ocean
- Sledding!
- Dancing in the kitchen when your favorite song comes on the radio
- Playing with kittens
- Hugs
As someone who set a personal record for the longest bad mood ever over the past several weeks, I needed the reminder that Ian provided from the balcony the other night. And when VBS ends with a carnival this Sunday, I will be the first one in line for the sno-cones, the face painting, and the dunk tank, because you're never too old to be a kid again!
3 comments:
Singing those same songs from VBS when I was a kid....and making drippy castles on the beach!
Don't forget blasting the music, singing and "dancing" in the car when your favorite song comes on the radio--I just can't help it! I too am so thrilled to see Casey participating in VBS as a middle schooler. For both Ian and Casey--it's a testament to his/her strength as a person in light of so much pressure "to do as your friends do", his/her faith in God and last but by no means least the unbelievable commitment MPC has to our children. Thanks for the post Kim--enjoyable as always!
Swinging on the swingset, catching lightning bugs, screaming on roller coasters, splashing puddles during summer rainstorms, walking barefoot in freshcut grass, scrunching bare toes in wet sand (while making "drippy castles" on the beach!)
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