Gifts to Christ

I teach in a private dance studio for my church so I am able to talk about the true meaning of Christmas, with my dancers. I take this opportunity seriously since it is not every where you can talk about Christ in your dance classes. This  year I put a lot of preparation into this  lesson plan. I taught this lesson three times and so I am going to combine the experience into one post.

The following lesson plan was inspired by a teacher I use to work with but having the desire not to lose it when she left I do it in her honor. (So I don’t take credit for the ideas, simply embrace them.) The basic events that took place are as follows: Christmas music fills the room as we practice and show off what it is the children have been learning this first part of the year to their parents, because it is parents day. Then it is time to look inside the Christmas present that I brought to class, they typically have been looking forward to it all of class. As I start pulling things out they quickly recognize it as a Nativity scene. I then ask them to tell me the story, this is did new this year but it proved to be insightful and children love to talk. In my boys class they settled down enough and were old enough to tell the story with the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Ghost, and they did a beautiful job, I unfortunately do not remember the words well enough to retell them too you. In the girls’ classes they were cute and it was worth it though not as powerful as the boys. I emphasized the wise men in the story and how they brought gifts to the little Jesus. I asked them if they were there what would they give and they answers were all very lovingly given. A few of my favorites: “I would give baby Jesus my favorite stuffed octopus because I love it so much!”, and  “I would give him a room in my house.” I then told them briefly of the drummer boy and how all he had to give was something he had in himself, a talent, I asked if it were possible to give the gift of dance to baby Jesus. They all agreed. What followed was sweet and tender.

In the boys class: I had a cardboard manager with a baby doll inside and set it in the middle of our dancing room.  I turned on the music and let them dance. Their dancing was truly amazing you could see the light inside each one of them coming out as they did their best to give the gift of dance to baby Jesus. It was the best dancing I have seen from them this far. This however was not all, when they finished their dance I asked if someone would bring baby Jesus and the manger.They all wanted to do so. I decided to let them figure out how they were going to do this and well these six boys all circled around the manger and carefully lifted the manger and baby up and working together brought our baby Jesus over. It was a  tender moment for us all that got to see it.

The youngest of children and the wildest of boys still can be touched and thereby touch the hearts around them with their testimony of Jesus Christ.

Call Me Mommy

As I have been writing down these Mommy Moments, I have felt very blest and strengthened! However my thoughts have also been distracted negatively, 'you have these moments but no one calls you Mommy.'  I successfully pushed away this thought most of the time, yet it was there to crawl out of the shadowy recesses of my mind when I was weak, more susceptible to  giving into negativity.

A few days ago I had a Mommy Moment that is helping, me resolve this thought, and dispel it.  I decide to go to a special church meeting with my brother's family, having the company of my three nephews.  As we were waiting for the meeting to begin I had my four year old nephew on one side and my two year old nephew on the other. We were carrying on normal conversation and little activities that come from such situations. When suddenly my two year old nephew leaned up right next to me his little arm around my back. His head tilted up toward me. I looked down at him because this was out of the ordinary. When he saw he had my attention these words reached my ears. "I love you Milla" (Milla is the name by which my nephews call me. )  I returned with" I love you"! He again leaned closer to me "I love you too"  after he said it a second time I looked into his eyes wondering why he said it again. It was almost as if he was trying to burn or make permanent the words he had spoken to me.  After those few moments of looking at each other he reached his head up purse his lips wanting to give me a kiss so I leaned down to accept it and so he could reach my cheek. He gave me a kiss. After this moment past it felt familiar like he had done almost this very same thing before. After thinking on it, I have a vague memory of a similar event with my nephew but I didn't listen that time, I did this time.

My nephew had to teach me twice, but I needed to hear and understand. I am grateful to him for his diligence. I am starting to understand the need to be called Mommy, is not important, yet it is the love a child has for me!

Thou Shalt Not Jump

I was at my friends house the other day and they were getting their little boy ready for bed. He was in his PJs quietly looking through his books we were all busy doing something for a moment or two and then we heard a variation on these words come from this little boy, "Jesus said no jumping." A little confusion followed as us adults try to figured out what he just said, and why? It was super cute but way off...

It was my friend that was able to make this connection for us. Earlier on in the day they had been reading bible story about Jesus being tempted to jump off the building, along with His other two temptations, from Satan, and Jesus said no. Nothing more took place on that topic has far as she knew. Until he made his statement at that moment. We all had a little chuckle over it yet the moment past and it was forgotten. We all moved on with other conversation and then with our lives. Until it was many days later and I was traveling home with my family for Thanksgiving and something in the conversation reminded me about this little funny story that took place with my friend's son.  I shared it with them and we all laughed. I started talking about it and as I was thinking out loud about this event I was taught.

This smart little two year old boy had heard a story about Jesus and with the very best reasoning that is given to a developing child at his age he pondered on it until he came up with a conclusion about what the message of the story he had heard.  He was learning from the teaching of Jesus the best he could. We smile at it and move on but what a lesson he taught me about doing the best with where we are at the time. That is what this life is all about anyway. We take the knowledge that we manage to retain through our daily lives’ and we make decisions or conclusions about them. Building upon our understanding and knowledge of the world around us as well as our spirituality.

In many cases when finding my Mommy Moments I need to put in the effort to think about a child and the situation. To really learn from the child.

Monochrome World?

For my  Thanksgiving  dance lesson plan I normally ask each child as I call role to tell me something that they are grateful for. The normal answers are cute and largely directed by previous conversation or the responses of other children.  For example if we were talking about Christmas everyone is grateful for presence or the new favorite is anything related to “Frozen”.  There are the insightful group that will talk about their families or God. Which I respect and understand. This particular little girl  was grateful for something that I had thought of only in passing if at all. The simpleness of  her answer was  a profound insight. She said this, “I am grateful for colors…. because this world would be very boring with only one color.” I wish I could explain exactly what took place inside me when I was given this response. It was like having an enlightening moment and something deep inside you changes. I began to see the world a little differently. I see the colors more  seriously now. This world would be very boring and bland without colors. Leave it to  a child to teach me how to better see the world around me. I have not been living in a world of one color yet I sure have not been seeing them all; now I am starting to.