I Choose

This morning I attended Bubba's Elementary School Chapel because the 3rd Grade was leading it. I had no idea what that would mean, but parents were invited...so I went. It was a bunch of beautifulness squished into 20 minutes. I loved it.

Bubba waiting for his turn to share

Each child had prepared a short piece entitled "I Choose" and read them. Here is Bubba's:

Elementary Chapel on January 13, 2010 from Dawn Wilkinson on Vimeo.

There was such a wide variety of choice's presented--everything from obeying parents the first time (!), to not fighting with sisters, to sharing Jesus with others, to praying everyday, to not taking things that aren't theirs, to using self-control to not talk when she shouldn't (I sensed a kindred spirit in that girl). One of the most touching to me was the little girl who chose to take some of her playtime every Saturday to go and visit her grandma so she wouldn't be lonely. (Be still my heart). One of the most humorous to me was the kid who chose not to smoke cigars!

You'll notice that Bubba's was a bit more theological than rubber-hits-the-road-practical, but I love his heart of praise.

And if you noticed the mike was a little droopy--it was. It got lower and lower until a few kids were actually doing squats to read their piece into the microphone. It took great effort on our parts not to laugh at them...so cute.

Most of these kids chose stuff that in their worlds were quite challenging. Many were quite vulnerable. Some were pretty amazingly profound. I was encouraged by them to make the hard choices in my world.

And then, as an extra blessing, at the end of chapel the teachers recognize particular students for character traits, and Bubba was recognized for service. His teacher says he is always quick to help, and makes a special effort to help clean up at the end of the day...looking for ways to help others. Ah, my mama heart swelled...

my boys after chapel

Just had to share, bloggies. :) Happy Wednesday.