My Wednesday

I walked in my house in a rush, I knew I was late and would not have time to bake cupcakes for my Wednesday night choir class at church. I begged my father to go to the grocery store to buy some cupcakes and he grudgingly agreed. I finally get some store bought cupcakes and I think is this all I'm going to get them? So I rush to the candy isle, frantically look, and finally settle on Candy Canes, I mean it is Christmas after all.

I walk quickly to my room and smile as I get the key out. Ever since my friend and her mother moved, I was so glad when the director let me be the teacher in my class. Once inside the room I fumble to get all the necessary items I needed before meeting my assistant and children in the Adult Choir Room. It is a big day for us. The children's choir is going to give a singing presentation before we go on break for Christmas. I put on a choir robe on and get out the roll sheet to start checking off names as my five year old kids show up. Only eight.....that’s okay we'll do better next year. The children look so cute dressed up in their best with miniature choir robes on. The director stands on the podium and everyone quiets down. We quickly run through a few lines to remind the kids and the teachers look around and laugh sheepishly as we notice that most the kids do not know the music, and the directors tells us to sit among them and "help" them out.

We line up, leave the room and head to the fellowship hall where we will be singing. I lead the children with my assistant at the end and try to keep them all together as we cut through other groups and pull the curious little children back. We finally get the kids in the in front of the stage where they were supposed to be, with me sitting with them.

While we're waiting for the show to start all the children start to get fidgety especially one of my little boys, Jason. I keep on reminding him to stand up, stay still, and behave. After once again telling Jason to stand up, one of my other kids, Shelby, starts to cry. I am not worried because she does this a lot. I scoot her over to me and ask her what’s wrong; she tells me she misses her mommy. I reassure her that her mommy is over there taking pictures of her and she should stop crying so her eyes aren't red in the pictures. Just as I get her to stop crying for the moment, Jason my troublemaker starts acting up again, and I let him know that if he isn't good he won't get anything at our party afterwards. He looks at me excitedly and asks me what are we going to have? I whisper in his ear cupcakes, and he gives me a hug and sugar on my cheek saying, "Thanks Miss. Jenny!" I turn back around and for a moment just think at how much I love these little guys. I don't have much time to think to myself as another of my little girls, Grace, starts to cry also. I quickly hold her and ask her what is the matter, and as it turns out she too misses her mommy. I take some time to calm her down letting her know that her mommy is just out there watching her and waiting to hear her beautiful voice. This helps her somewhat and I let out a breath thinking, this isn't easy. It’s now time to sing, and they sing, letting out their voices, and sounding very sweet as they try to remember the words to the song.

After we finish, we head back to our classroom shivering from the cold. When we get in the room we take the robes off the kids. I gather the children together and start those playing musical chairs, while Mrs. Louise, my assistant, starts putting out the toys and candy for the kids. I put Adryan, a quiet little girl whom I love dearly, in charge of turning on and off the music, while I start to set up snack. We finish up the game and all sit down, but before we eat we say a short prayer and ask the kids to tell us what their thankful for. Afterwards, I ask the children if they want sprinkles and of course all of them do, so they get up by twos and get their own sprinkles, but a few of them accidentally spilt their sprinkles on the way back giving me a mess to clean up later. Then we gave the kids a paper and some stickers so that they could make a picture while waiting for their parents to show up. Some of them finishing early decide to play on the chalk board, drawing with the blue, red, and white chalk. Finally, the last child leaves with their parents leaving me alone in the once clean room.

As I clean up the mess and get ready to head home, I think about all the kids and how each and every one of them uniquely touches my heart in a way no adult could. What is it with kids that touch our hearts so deeply? Is it the innocence they have, the happiness that always seems to sprout from them, or the love they all give so freely to everyone they meet. They have something. Something that we some how lose as we grow up, something that we should all try to find again.