Teaching kids -- Inspiring teachers

            “Good Grief MOM! You are going to drive us all crazy!” Wendy yelled at the top  of her lungs.  Wendy had just read what was scheduled on their family’s Advent Activity Calendar.  Where did her mom come up with this stuff?

            Eight months ago, Wendy’s mom started going to church.  No warning.  One day, out of the blue, she announced they were going to start going to church.  On that particular day, Wendy walked into the kitchen and heard her Mom talking to someone on the phone about God.  Her mom hung up the phone, smiled and said, “Beginning today everything is going to be different.”  Wendy just rolled her eyes and headed up the stairs to her bedroom. 

            Eight months later, things were totally different.  Usually the Christmas season was filled with parties, shopping, decorating, shopping, list making, shopping, visits to Santa Claus, and more shopping.  But not this year, oh no … this year was different!

            This year Mom did her shopping before Thanksgiving.  Her reason?  She wanted to have more time during the Advent Season to do family activities, help people, and reach out -- whatever that meant!

            Two weeks ago, Mom gave Wendy and her brother a four week Advent Calendar.  “Here is the schedule of what we are going to do each day during this Christmas season. We are going to have the most memorable holiday season ever!”  Mom had such a weird look on her face that neither of them knew what to say.  Even Thomas, her normally talkative 14-year-old brother, just sat and stared.

            “All of us?” Wendy asked.

            “Yes, all of us.  No excuses, no complaining.  If you are desperate to chat with a friend during the times shown on this calendar, you can invite your friend to join us,” Mom informed them in a very serious tone.

            That was two weeks ago.  Over the past 14 days they had filled boxes with goodies for children in some country Wendy had never heard of, shoveled their neighbors’ sidewalks, baked fruit breads and delivered them to a nursing home downtown, brought groceries to a food pantry, sorted out clothes to give away, made homemade play dough for the children’s ward of the hospital, written letters to two missionaries in Brazil, among other things.  Some days their “family Advent time” only took minutes, other days it took hours.  And every day, without fail, they did what the calendar said.  But today’s event was ridiculous.  Maybe ridiculous wasn’t the right word.  Stupid.  That was a better word!  This was stupid.  Wendy picked up the calendar to check to make sure she had read it correctly.  “Take the Swanson kids shopping for their Mom.”  Yup, she had read it correctly.  Those little girls whined and argued and were so mean to each other. 

            SLAM!  Ah, Mom was back from taking Thomas to high school.  Wendy threw her hair back in a pony tail and ran down the stairs.

            “Mom!” She called on the way down.

            “In the kitchen, honey!” Mom called back.

            “You have got to be kidding! We are taking the Swanson kids shopping?” Wendy didn’t even try to hide her frustration.

            “Yes we are.  Listen, Miss Wendy, I know how hard it is to be a single mom, so we are going to bless Ms. Swanson by taking her girls shopping.  This way she will have something nice from the girls on Christmas morning and she will also have a little break tonight,” Mom said with her head stuck in the freezer. 

            Wendy knew it has been tough on her mom for the past two years since dad left.  Wendy tried to understand what her mom was feeling.

            “But Mom, those girls are awful!” Wendy said emphasizing the word awful as much as she could.

            “Well, they do have some trouble being nice to each other, but Ms. Swanson is still in need of some help.  And that help is coming from us today!” Mom said with a huge smile on her face.  “I cannot believe how much fun it is to have every day of the Christmas season filled with thinking of others instead of ourselves.  This has been an amazing year, Wendy.”

            “Yeah, amazing,” Wendy mumbled as she headed to the pantry to grab some cereal. 

            “Wendy,” Mom said, handing Wendy a bowl and spoon.  “I know this is all strange.  But Christmas means something very, very different to me this year.  And I want to share that meaning with you kids.”

            “But all you are doing is paying attention to everyone else,” Wendy said.  She knew she was whining and acting like a baby instead of a sixth grader, but right now she didn’t care.

            “Let me explain something, then I’ll tell you a secret,” Mom leaned forward in her chair so her head was close to Wendy’s.  “I want to be like Jesus, Wendy.  All He did was think about me.  And about you.  This whole season is about Jesus loving us and coming to earth as a baby.  I haven’t done the right things over the years.  I’ve been selfish.  And I have taught you and Thomas that Christmas is a selfish holiday.  I am sorry for that, but I don’t blame you!  It is my fault.  I want you to have a nice Christmas.  And I want you to have nice gifts.  But I want us to put other people first this year.  Now, for the secret part.  I was going to see if you and Thomas wanted to have a New Year’s Eve party,” Mom said smiling at Wendy.

            “Really?  A New Year’s Eve party?  We don’t have to do something nice for someone on New Year’s Eve? Your church just cares for all these kinds of people during Christmas?” Wendy asked as she poured herself some cereal.  “Great! We can get back to normal.”

            Mom just smiled at Wendy like she had another secret.  “I am never going back to what I used to be, Wendy.  This is my new normal.”

            “Oh,” Wendy didn’t know what else to say.

            The shopping trip with the Swanson girls ended up not being too bad.  They got everything done with only a couple of arguments, had ice cream and were home by 9:00.  Friday after school Mom, Wendy, and Thomas baked cookies for a party being given at a homeless shelter the following day.  That wasn’t so bad either, because they got to sample the cookie dough.

            Saturday morning, the three of them loaded up their 200 cookies and headed to the homeless shelter. 

            “I cannot believe we have to give up a Saturday for this,” Wendy mumbled from the back seat.

            “Well, I plan on having a great time,” Mom answered.  “And when we are done you can call your friends from the cell phone and I will be happy to pick up a few and take you to the mall, if you like.”

            ‘Hmmm,’ Wendy thought.  ‘What has gotten into her this morning?  That smile looks a little too happy.  The mall sounds good, though.’

            Ten minutes later, when they pulled into the parking lot behind the homeless shelter, Wendy thought Mom had changed her mind and taken them to a winter carnival. 

            “What is this?” Wendy asked.

            “Well, Pastor Jack told me a lot of people had donated money to make this a big event for these children.  I guess he meant A WHOLE LOT of money!” Mom was smiling that goofy, too-happy smile again.

            The day went by quickly for Wendy, she filled snowman-shaped goody bags with candy, stickers, balls, a candy cane, and one of the cookies she helped bake.  It was kind of fun and she met a couple of girls her own age.  By the time the bags were filled the kids were coming in from playing the carnival games.  Wendy helped the other workers serve hot chocolate.  Then some teenagers went behind a stage and began a puppet show.  Wendy found herself laughing at the blue, orange, and purple characters as they acted silly for the children.  Then a lady came out and told an amazing story about a lamb in a stable and what the lamb saw on the real Christmas night.  Wendy knew the Jesus story a little, but she hadn’t ever heard it like this.  Or maybe she just hadn’t really listened before.

            But she listened this time.  And at the end, when the lady asked the kids who wanted to pray a prayer asking Jesus into their heart, Wendy raised her hand and prayed along with the little homeless children.  After saying ‘Amen’ she raised her head and locked eyes with her Mom.  It all made sense to her now.  The reason for this season was not what she could get, but what Jesus had done for her and for these children in this room. 

            Mom walked over to her and pulled her into a hug.  With tears running down her cheeks, Wendy whispered into her Mother’s ear, “This is my new normal, too.”

The end.

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Last modified: 08/19/08