Did you ever get the feeling that everyone else got an owner’s manual for life, but it must have been handed out on a day you were absent from school, and you didn’t get a copy? Things that should have been absolute and finished by this stage of life still feel like they are continually…
Next week 59 little children will line up to start St. John’s Preschool’s new school year. Many have never been in any preschool program before or even been separated from their parents. There may be tears, some from the children and some from the parents. When I was raising my own little ones, I never really could appreciate…
We recently celebrated the Moving On Ceremony at the preschool and of course I got emotional. Saying goodbye is difficult after you have poured so much into such sweet relationships. It’s not just letting go of the children that we have cared for so much but also the parents/families that become such a special part of…
I arrive at the preschool early each morning to a quiet building filled with promise. The promise of the joy that will fill each classroom when the teachers and students arrive. I walk down the hall and begin to pray. I pray for the health and safety of all our students and teachers. I pray for the teachers…
My favorite memories as a child were back to school shopping for new school supplies, new school clothes, and of course the change of the seasons. We are back to a new year at the preschool with 65 students attending. We have 31 families that are new to St. John’s Preschool this year, many of which…
Spring has indeed arrived here at St. John’s Preschool. Our classes are taking walks around our beautiful grounds on scavenger hunts looking for signs of spring, bugs, flowers, and birds. The Three and Four Year Old classes will receive two lessons from the Creation Care Committee. This week the lesson was on “Birds and Their Beaks” and next…
I recall that in one of my earlier articles last spring, I mentioned that one of the things I really missed during Covid was hearing the “squeals of children laughing and playing” and the observation that “young children are such exuberant learners and always in awe of the many gifts from God”. Well, they are…
There are so many people I’ve been grateful to have in my life this past year. Being part of a church family, even when we’ve been physically separated for much of the year, is one of the many things for which I’m thankful for and appreciate more and more as time goes on. Upon learning…
When we teach Godly Play to the Church School children, we always light a candle before saying the Lord’s Prayer. After the prayer, we tell them that we are “changing” the light, not extinguishing it. This past year on Zoom, the children take turns lighting the candle and leading us in prayer. As we change…
As I reflect on this last year, I’ve thought about what I’ve really missed that I’m sure I have taken for granted in the past; spending time with my grandchildren, family, friends, and worshiping in our sanctuary with my church family. The list goes on and on. For me, one of the things I’ve especially…