Morning Lessons

I was very intimidated by the idea of this interlude, this space we're in right now. I knew that we'd be moving away from friends and Baby Boot Camp and cable whereby one can wake up and at least have DVR'd Ellen DeGeneres with whom to dance. I knew that there would be a definite day by which jobs and school schedules and other scheduled activities would begin. But even an unscheduled day in the land of tending to wee kidlets is several eternities long, broken up by too infrequent naps (too frequently interrupted). But the past week of our new life in our new home has taught me that there is opportunity in the clean slate. One major shortfall in my role as a mother has been to cultivate my children's spirituality. I have planted seeds (reading books, saying prayers, pointing out object lessons when they appear to me), but the actual business and rhythm of spirituality in our homelife was just not something into which I invested a lot of any time. I felt a burden for doing a better job of this, especially since the lack of worship in my home was clearly a reflection of my own spiritual condition.

So, we started this week. Baby Girl and I. On Monday, I told her we were going to do "morning lessons." She cried. Not softly. We got through the requisite Bible verse. That was about it. I didn't really have a lesson plan or anything. I was just trying to carve out time between the Super Why computer games and the ballerina tea party soccer picnic. You know, the usual morning regimen.

Day Two went more promisingly. She actually became quite animated when I grabbed the Beginner's Bible. By Wednesday, she was asking me when morning lesson was going to be, and telling me that she was ready for morning lesson, and, "Mom, I'm weddy for morning wessonnnnnn!"

Yesterday, during Morning Lesson, which may or may not be my favorite time of day, I asked Baby Girl to name 3 ways to show that you love someone.

"Um. Playing games."

"Yup, playing games with someone is loving."

"And, hugging."

"Yep, that's two."

"And puppies."

*** Happy sabbath, everyone. Love and puppies to you.