April 15th

Do your children share all their excitement with you? Mine were always full of the day’s events when they first arrived home from school. If I did not take time to listen to their stories right then, they were soon off to play or involved in homework, and somehow I missed a portion of their lives. No matter whether their tales brought swift concern, smiles, or gales of laughter, those first few minutes with them always gave me some insight into their problems, their personalities, their growth, even their spiritual condition. Do you have a daily time when the children in your life share with you and you with them?

THE CHANGING SCENE
The yellow school bus stops at four,
And when he comes in the back door,
I ask him, “What’s the news today?”
He tells me, “Benjie dropped his tray!
You should have heard the noise it made.
And Sammy untied Linda’s braid!
Jerry has a wart!

“Michael got a real black eye,
But he made Andy Evans cry.
Mr. Fisher made them stay
Until the second bus today.
Margie found my new baseball.
It wasn’t really lost at all.
She’s a real good sport.”

This afternoon when he came in,
His face displayed a silly grin.
His news was really a surprise.
I’m sure I must have blinked my eyes
When, at the door, I heard him say,
“Margie wore a skirt today!
It was very short!”

Prayer: Dear Father, help me to listen always to those I love, adults or children. Please give me perception to understand them.