A Family Affair....

Last night we began our annual week of VBS. Some people would think that I was crazy for giving up a week of my summer break to spend it teaching. After all, that is what I do from August through May of each year. But this is different.....

Not only do I get to play and have fun with the kids... (I am the arts and crafts teacher.) Not only do I get to help deliver God's message to all of those who attend.....  Even better.... I get to spend it with my own children.

 Both of them are at that stage in their life when their schedules are full: friends, fun, school groups, summer jobs. It is rare that I get some time with them and even more rare that I get to stand on the sideline and just see their character shine. Whenever they are at home, they are often so tired that they are either collapsed on the couch napping, or just shut up in their rooms watching television or texting a friend.

My daughter, Kari, has been the puppeteer at VBS for four years. 

This year, her alter ego is "Godwin" a talkative parrot. Here she is with all four of the puppets that she has used to help deliver God's life lessons. She loves it! It is one of her favorite times of the year. I don't know if she will continue with this service each year or not, once she graduates high school, but I am sure that she will continue to do God's work in some way. I love to be there, listening to her transform into whatever character she represents each year. She may be a teenager, but when VBS rolls around, Kari's inner child get released.

Even my son, who is working a summer job during the day, is helping this year.

Keenan is assisting with the opening and closing programs and filling in wherever needed. Last night he helped me with crafts when I had larger groups and even got the chance to deal with some boo-boos. It really touched my heart to see him talking in a soft voice with an injured child, gently cleaning the wound, and then bandaging it. 

As for me....... I am not only the crafts teacher.....

I am also the clown! Our theme for the week is "Fun Fair" and what fair would be complete without a clown? At my age, I try to take any opportunity that I can to NOT take myself TOO seriously. This is certainly one of those. Throughout my career I have been known for several different "looks" at school for special occasions. (Maybe I will share some of those in another post sometime.) At one time, I asked my son if he was ever embarrassed by it. He responded, "No, we are kind of used to it." 

Sometimes the two and a half hours of nightly VBS classes seem much longer: glue that is too gooey, classes that run behind schedule, more kids in a group than we have seats. But through it all, I can still smile and enjoy the moments. I am thankful that my two children have adopted the idea of service- that joyful feeling that you get from helping deliver God's message and God's love to others. VBS is a family affair and I am glad that it is!