Spring Break

It is Spring Break for most schools around this area. My granddaughter, Joy’s, is no exception. She is in her second year of preschool. And apparently, Spring Break is a pretty big deal.

Last year when Spring Break came around, all she could talk about was coming to spend the week with me. I was thrilled. I couldn’t wait for her to come.

This year is no different. She is planning to spend two nights with me this week. We are looking forward to it and are trying to decide what fun things to do while she’s here.

I have to chuckle when I think of a preschooler getting excited about Spring Break. What is she getting a break from? She doesn’t have home work. There isn’t a term paper due in a few weeks. There are no final projects to get rested up to tackle. It’s preschool!

But it’s what she knows. It is school to her and this little break is fun. This little break gives her a change of pace and scenery. This little break is just exactly what she needs. She will return to school next week refreshed. Ready to see her friends again. Ready to get back into that routine because she wasn’t this week.

This is actually her third year of preschool. She attended and graduated Baba’s preschool before entering Miss Lisa and Miss Sandy’s world. And she was my prize pupil.

I would transform my living and dining room area into Baba’s preschool. The alphabet stretched out around the room. There was a little reading station set up where we introduced the day of the week, the weather, the topic of discussion for the day, and much more.

We had arts and crafts (Joy called it “arts and craps”) each day, we sang songs, we studied different units, we read books, we went on field trips, learned about God, and the list could go on.

I spent hours on lesson plans. Hours working toward the next day Joy would come to Baba’s preschool. It was like a real preschool!

But it wasn’t.

I don’t know about you, but there are times when I’ve gotten pretty tangled up in the details that I missed the “real” purpose. Missed people who have needed me to stop and comfort or help them.

I’ve often said that when I’m at my busiest, I put blinders over my eyes. I don’t have time to stop and see those who are hurting. Isn’t that sad! What opportunities I’ve missed! And all because I was too busy.

I heard something years ago that has stuck with me. I don’t remember who said, so I’m grieved to say that I can’t give credit where credit is due…perhaps you’ve heard it. It goes something like this. “Satan keeps us so busy that we don’t have time to think about the most important things in life.”

Yeah, that’s it! When we are so busy that we miss people, we’re too busy.

I’m going to bring out a little verse in the book of Haggai. The Israelites had returned from captivity and started to rebuild the temple, but then got busy rebuilding their own homes. They left the temple in ruins.

There is a lot going on here, but life wasn’t going the way the Israelites thought it should and so God tells them why. He says, “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.” (Haggai 1:9)

Are you so busy with your life that you don’t see the ruin in others? If so, we need to stop. We need to take the blinders off and see what is happening around us. All too quickly, the opportunity will be gone and our sphere of influence will be gone.

Joy is a bright, young girl. I pray that I will be able to teach her much more through the coming years. Especially about God and the gifts He wants to lavish upon her.

I’m sure there were things she was supposed to learn that I neglected to teach her. It’s a good thing there is “real” preschool.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna