Mar
27
2019
A Little Creativity
Posted in Discipleship 4 Comments
I had to stop at the post office.
I love my little post office.
It is a place where everyone knows your name.
The post office closes for lunch between 12:00 and 2:00 every day.
I have had to wait until after lunch to bring my package on many days.
A busy morning often prevented me from getting there before noon.
I would run my errands around town and stop at the post office on the way home.
Ideally, stopping at the post office in the morning is best.
I had to send a package back.
It was an easy transaction since the shipping label just needed to be scanned.
I watched a woman walk in the door quite slowly.
I wondered if she was going to go to the counter or her post office box.
She went to the counter, walking ever so slowly.
She was walking like her back was hurting.
I walked behind her.
I had to walk at her pace, since there was nowhere else for me to go.
She asked for all her mail that had accumulated there.
I wondered if she had been on vacation.
When I am in line for a long time, I tend to write scenarios in my head.
I imagine stories about the things I see.
The post office worker brought all of her mail from the back room.
She was carrying a large pile in her hand.
She put the mail down on a back counter.
The woman proceeded to go through her mail right then and there.
I was certain that before she left the post office, her pile would be considerably smaller.
The postal worker walked back behind the counter.
Good morning, everyone, she said pleasantly.
I was next in line; there were three people behind me.
It was my turn.
I simply had to put the package on the scale and have it scanned.
My receipt was printed and handed to me.
I was done in less than a minute.
I walked outside and saw a grandmother with her grandson.
The little boy was carrying the letters that needed to be mailed.
I want to do it, PLEASE, the little boy pleaded.
OK, but I will hold the door open for you, the grandmother said.
She walked over to the outside mailbox and opened the little door.
Her grandson stood on his tip toes in order to put the letters inside.
The day was cold for spring and a bit windy.
One of the letters flew out of his hand.
Ooooh, I’ll get it. I’ll get it, he cried as he ran after the wayward letter.
The grandmother did not get upset or annoyed.
My goodness! You’re fast, she exclaimed.
I’m fast! I’m fast! The little boy repeated as he ran.
I got in my car but I could still see the little boy.
Every time he got near the letter, it blew away a little further.
I looked at the grandmother, quite grateful for this wonderful display in front of me.
You almost got it! What a fast runner you are! She said with excitement.
As I put the key in the ignition, I saw that the little boy had captured the wayward letter.
He held it tightly in his hand.
He was waving it as if it was a victory flag.
His grandmother was clapping.
What if the little boy’s grandmother got upset?
What if she raised her voice at him because of the wayward letter?
What if she made remarks in frustration?
Can’t you do anything right?
Grace was extended.
Maybe she remembered what it was like to be little.
Maybe she remembered standing on tip toes to reach something.
Maybe she remembered something being carried along by the wind.
The little boy’s grandmother used this as an opportunity to encourage her grandson.
It will probably be something they giggle about together.
They may even make up a story about the letter that flew away.
The little boy will be the hero who captured the wayward letter.
The grandmother’s creativity will reap wonderful benefits.
She found joy in the situation rather than getting annoyed.
She knew her grandson did not drop the letter on purpose.
She knew that her grandson was really trying.
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
(1 Thessalonians 5:11)
To foster a love of reading, elementary educators tell their students to read a book at night, or have someone read to them. One principal in Texas has made it personal: She snuggles into a pair of pajamas and reads to her students herself. “I don’t know if they are read to or not at home,” said Belinda George, 42, a first-year principal at Homer Drive Elementary in Beaumont, in Southeast Texas. George, often in a cozy onesie, opens Facebook Live on her phone each Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. As she reads a children’s book in her living room, anyone who goes to the school’s Facebook page can watch live. She calls it “Tucked-in Tuesdays,” and it’s become somewhat of a sensation at her school…George started the readings in December for her 680 students. Some of her Facebook Live videos have gotten as many as 2,000 views. She said she wears pajamas because she says good night to them at the end of the video, and she wants to be “true to what I’m saying.” George said 94 percent of her students come from economically disadvantaged homes, and last year’s literacy tests showed that an average of just 55 percent of her third-, fourth- and fifth-graders were reading on or above grade level. She said since she became principal this school year, students have made strides in literacy. “We’ve already seen growth,” she said. (Allison Klein, Washington Post, March 1)
Dr. George is turning a situation around.
She could have made reading a chore.
Her creative idea makes reading enjoyable for her students, whom she calls, scholars.
Her scholars may not fit into those shoes yet, but they will.
What situation can you turn around today with a little creativity?
It is worth the time and effort.
How we approach difficulties matters. I was raised by parents who berated themselves or someone else if something went wrong. Then I had roommates who could laugh at a misstep and find humor in a situation gone wrong. I was baffled at first but one find it refreshing when someone doesn’t take themselves or a trivial situation so seriously.
Paula,
You have witnessed two ways to approach life. I am sure your roommates’ approach did indeed baffle you. It probably opened your eyes to a new way of looking and things and responding to situations. That is a blessing.
Gina
Teachers (or principals) can make such a difference!
They sure can, Sue.
Any of us can make a difference with a little creativity and thinking out of the box a bit.
Gina