And the youngest shall lead them
I thought he might clam up. I thought he might get a little punchy and start acting silly. Yet he didn't do either.
Logan stood with me before a church full of people to help deliver a request for participation in a special collection we take each year on Palm Sunday. He began our talk with a cheery "Good Morning!" He smiled brightly as everyone responded to him. I asked him two questions and he clearly, loudly, leaning into the microphone answered them both with authority. When we completed our talk he leaned to the mic one last time to say "thank you."
Our Senior Pastor reminded us after the service that this was the first time in all years here anyone received applause for a minute for mission. Typically we're not a demonstrative group. People tend to refrain from clapping unless it's the children's choir singing...or apparently a three-year old encouraging us to give what we have to help those that don't have anything.
He was proud of himself, as he ought to be. Several of the people sitting near us came over both during the greeting portion of the service and after the service to thank Logan for a job well done. They told him how well he did and how proud his parents must be. Logan took the praise in stride. He smiled nicely and said simply "Thank you."
I am proud of my boy. Not just for what he said today, but that, at a mere three years old, he had the courage to stand before so many adults and do it. Perhaps there are those that will write their checks for this offering remembering the enthusiastic red-head. I think it's pretty spectacular that a composed child could lead adults in such a way...but I know Logan. I saw him in action today. I know he can and I'm not at all surprised by it.
Why didn't I think of that?
Why didn't I think of that?
In the fall we gathered up *most* of the leaves. A small bit, however, congregated in the corner of our backyard between the house and the fence next to the gate. The majority of this leaf mass covered a section of our shade garden - something that was completely dormant waiting for the sun to warm it back to life. I didn't worry much about clearing the leaves away.
But recently there has been green springing up all over the place. Tiny bits of young and tender leaves peeking through the soil. It was time to move those leaves.
I pulled the piles off the flower bed and made one big inviting pile just outside it -- blocking the gate. Clearly this wasn't going to work for long. The kids both leapt into the center of the mess, giggling with delight. I stood, hands on hips, and pondered how I'd clear these leaves without having to head to the garage to get the big contractor garbage bags or the rake.
Logan must have known what I was thinking. He made the face he makes when he's analyzing a situation hard. Then he held up an index finger and yelled "I KNOW!"
"Know what?" I asked. I was still pondering deeply myself and was only half focused on what he was leaping about doing.
"I know what we can do to move the leaves. I have a winter toy we can use!" he disappeared around the corner of the house.
A winter toy? What sort of winter toy did we have to move leaves? A shovel? In the garage. He wasn't going there, he can't open the door to the basement to get downstairs and into the garage. I couldn't imagine and I didn't have to. He quickly reappeared with his stroke of genius trailing behind him -- the sled. The brightly colored plastic sled was going to move our leaves.
He steered the sled into the center of the leaf pile. He pulled armfuls up and dropped them in the sled center. When it was full he instructed me to take it away. We pulled it over to a spot behind some tall bushes were we often let the leaves hang out and break down. The emptied sled was pulled back to the leaf pile so we could begin again.
Most of the leaves were removed before they got bored of the task. It was time for snowless sled rides. And darn if those two hard workers of mine didn't deserve the reward.
Logan the Great!
I'm not quite sure how it got started, but Logan decided Daddy is a great magician. The thing is, Daddy confesses, out of Logan's ear shot, that he is not. He's good enough to trick a three-year old with some really bad sleight of hand. And even that is getting harder and harder.
Logan, however, was determined to see some magic so while Dad gave Meg her bath, Mom and Logan googled up a few tricks.
We found this one:
Colliding CoinI didn't bother to explain the science behind the magic. Logan is thrilled enough to be the one performing it. We built his little stack of coins. He flicked the free penny at it - and wham. Out came the bottom row. He was so proud.
He declared himself "LOGAN THE GREAT!" as he happily ran down the hall to invite Daddy to the magic show. (We even made an invitation to it.) When the 'curtain' rose on the show, Logan took a deep breathe and said the magic words -- waving a wand over the stack of coins before flicking the penny.) Success!
