Happy Disarray

Today I had two very special houseguests. A boy, 8, named Rio, and a girl, 12, named Tiffany. They spent time here for Children's Church, followed by a couple of movies.

We had a very special lesson about bullies, what bullies are, whether or not we've had to deal with bullies at school or elsewhere, whether or not we ourselves have been bullies in the past, and what God says about bullies.

It was a really interesting discussion, since the kids had different ideas of what a bully is and why they act the way they do. It was also interesting to watch both kids admit that they have been bullies in the past to others. I was so proud that they were able to recognize that they are not without guilt in that area... I think we all have had opportunity to bully others in some way or another.

And we talked about praying for our enemies, repaying good for evil, and having compassion for a bully, who might have been bullied or abused in the past, or even currently.

I just hope the lesson settled in their hearts.

We had a very nice lunch of rotisserie chicken (from the grocery), homemade sweet potato fries (just cut into sticks and deep fried) served with ranch dip, and sliced cucumbers. I made each of the kids a mock strawberry milkshake to enjoy with their meals. I selected this particular menu because Rio is a hyperactive child and his parents prefer to avoid sugary treats... this of course is hard for a young person, so I like to offer 'treats' that are tasty without asking him to cheat on his diet. Plus it's good for my own diet!

We watched a couple of movies: Wallis & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Flushed Away, while munching on some organic veggie chips (store-bought). We finished the afternoon with 30 minutes of car racing on the X-Box before they were picked up.

My house is a wreck, but it was a lovely day, and well worth the mess. There's a real blessing that comes with visiting children--they bring such a sweet innocence to the house.


Mrs.W