..."childhood sing-a-long..."

My husband's younger brother and wife live in our former city, a quarter of a mile from our old house.  What fun it would have been if we had stayed put and not moved 3 states east to Indiana... raising cousins in the same neck of the woods. But... that was not in God's plan. (I dont' know why the crazy website is formatting this with underline....)

My tale today is however set in that little Kansas suburb.  I love my sister-in-law dearly.  She is an only child, and calls me her "sister-by-a-different-mother."  She is an excellent sounding board for me, and will keep me in check if/and/when I get too crazy,
being one of my voices of reason...

Last weeks phone "conference" included a delightful tale about our 

3-year old nephew.

The local school district (where I happened to have joyfully taught & lived) continues to offer the Parents as Teachers Program.  An amazing feat as school districts are struggling with funding all over our nation.

Parents as Teachers hosts a weekly playdate in a preschool type playroom in one of the districts classrooms.  To wrap up the playdate the instructor gathered the children for circle time on the carpet.  They were singing songs, taking requests shouted out from the wee-ones... "The Wheels on the Bus," "Mary has a Little Lamb..." 

Our little nephew shouted out "Jesus Loves Me."  All adults were dead silent.  The instructor gave my sister-in-law a wide eyed look that silently said, "Tell him, no we can't sing that here."

But my steely-loved-one remained silent & gave the instructor a shoulder shrug and look back that said, "I am not going to silence him."

So the intructor asked the towheaded tri-year-old, "Can you help me?'"  Our sweet little nephew began singing... soon all the children were belting it out.... the parents were even joining in... in this "public school" sing-a-long.

What I find interesting is this... everyone knew the words, but were scared to sing them.  It was the children who had to lead.  Once they started singing, it broke the ice and the others (the grown-ups) followed.

What lesson is to be learned from this tale?  In the New Testament books of Matthew & Luke,
Christ tells his disciples to not hinder the wee-ones...

"Let the little ones come to me.... do not hinder them... for the kingdom of heaven is their's."

Sometimes the most poetic words are from the mouths of babes. How will you sing dear reader? Quietly? Silencing your inner child?  Will you belt it out for all to hear?