A Noisy Day

There is no school today. At 8:20 am two little boys showed up at my door. At 9:05 am two little girls showed up at my door. The three year-old, who is here every week, seemed a noisy, boisterous stranger. The six and seven year-olds ran around, bounced off walls, and laughed at everything, funny or not. Only the nine year-old was quiet. It was not a bad morning, just noisy. I did laundry, swept floors, washed dishes, and made lunches. The girls went home about ten minutes ago. The three year-old is taking a nap. The six year-old is playing Legos with Ben. The house seems quiet.

I have a renewed appreciation for my mom and her loving patience with children. For many, many years my mom operated a daycare out of her home. She often had anywhere from six to ten children in her care for the day. Her house was noisy and there wasn't anyplace to escape the presence of little people, but she loved them. She let them sit on her lap. She hugged them and kissed them. She gave them apples and crackers in the morning and she made them wonderful kid lunches every noon. They took naps in her living room, played with her toys, and ran around in her yard. When my dad was home he drew with them, playfully turned them upside-down, and played his banjo for them. It was a wonderful place for moms and dads to leave ther children. I don't know how Mom kept it up day after day, week after week, year after year, but she did. And she never stopped loving those kids. That is the love of Jesus shining through.