Over brunch, it was always fun to hang out for a little longer at our family dining table and just let the dishes soak in soapy water in the kitchen sink. We were having family time and it was so precious that I didn't want to disrupt this magic moment. I had just prepared 2 cups of hot coffee for me and my hubby and the kids were goofing around with their Dad. But the idea was to always find out who among them was the best at anything. And our dessert fun-time activity was to find out who can exhale the longest. At the count of three, my three monkeyteers gasped for big breath and exhaled "aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" in unison.
My lil boy was the first one to run out of breath followed immediately by my disappointed girl. As was expected, Daddy was the last man left standing while my kids cheered and booed him at the same time. Daddy with his antics, the kids smothered him with kisses and hugs and sighs of disappointment. "That's so unfair!" Someone said. But Daddy bragged even more and gave out his devil laugh!
So, to appease my kids, I told them that Daddy won because obviously he has the biggest chest among the three of them. And since he has the biggest chest, he can store more oxygen in his lungs. I told them that our chest protects our lungs which store and filter the oxygen that we breathe. "And that was how God designed our body," Daddy added, "because we are fearfully and wonderfully made." My hubby sensed that he needed to elaborate more on the subject as we both noticed that our children's eyes were glued on him.
Dad.
"Do you know that God has the most hi-tech filtration system designed to filter the oxygen that we take in our body? And do you know that the air passes through a sort of coiled filtration system in our lungs the size of a tennis court or 40x the human skin area? Isn't it amazing to learn how our God cares for us? God wanted to make sure that each time we breathe in fresh air to our system, we take in the cleanest and purest air in the form of oxygen that will keep us healthy and alive. He is the best engineer in the whole universe for He created everything. And he designed everything for a purpose."
Kids.
"Cool." "Wow!"
Our kitchen was charged with fun and excitement. We were all stirred up at how our topic was developing.
My hubby and I exchanged meaningful glances as we took turns talking to our children. It's as if saying "are you thinking what I'm thinking? Our God is an awesome God, come on!"
Mom.
"Our God has one amazing filtration system built to make sure that we are kept pure from toxins! You know what? Since we're talking about filters, this reminds me of the verse from Psalm 12:6 that says, "The words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times." Therefore, before our Lord uttered a word, He thought about it several times before saying them. That is why, His words written in the Bible are guaranteed pure and true, refined as gold. And we can count on His words because He thought well of them before uttering them."
Dad.
"What an example the Lord has set before us! Let it be a reminder to all of us, including me and Mom, to be careful with the words that come out of our lips and think first before we speak. Our Lord showed us how to honor Him by choosing our words carefully when we talk to others."
Spontaneity Is Priceless.
We are on our yearly school break but the learning we've had this late lunch was spontaneous. The words that we speak are so powerful that they can make or break someone if we don't choose our words wisely. And that makes all of us guilty one way or the other especially when we're the type who don't think before we speak. That is why it is very important to pay close attention to our thoughts because "out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." (Luke 6:45) Another verse from Proverbs 18:21 says, "the tongue has the power of life and death..."
Once again, we were reminded of why we're homeschooling our children and why we've stayed in the program now running on our eighth year. It is the invaluable learning that we experience together as a family, not just for our children, but for us as parents as well. And we won't have it any other way. It is the opportunity as their parents to be able to directly influence our children to develop Godly character within the bounds of our own home.
The Red Ribbon Experience
I remember an incident a few years ago when we were at a favorite family restaurant called Red Ribbon. We just finished our merienda allowing for a few minutes to pass by, when an elderly lady approached us and greeted us with a big smile on her face. She looked very friendly and told us that she had been watching us from the corner of the restaurant and was so impressed at how our children behaved while we ate. My hubby and I felt a bit embarrassed because we didn't know we were being watched. I chuckled as I smiled back at the lady and jokingly told her that she should see us how we all behaved at home. So we all gave a light laugh and felt the ice breaking.
The old lady said that she came up to us to tell us that watching how our two kids behaved at the restaurant from the moment we got in pleased her. "Other kids these days are so boisterous and unruly in public places while their parents just sat around watching them. So, really, you parents have a big role in disciplining your children. I am so glad that your children are well-mannered. Where do they go to school?" We homeschool our children, so she was told, the rest was history.
That moment, I wanted to give the old lady a big big hug, just to thank her for the kind words she had for us. Then I thought, this precious lady, well advanced in years knew how to process her words carefully and knew her timing well. I mean, you don't bump in to a stranger everyday to praise you about your children's behavior or character. Our children are not angels, I know, but her words meant the whole world to us. We know that there's a long journey ahead of us as our kids are still young and WE all screw up on a daily basis. But we felt that day that God sent an angel to speak to us and encourage us to pursue teaching our kids about the ways of the Lord.
As we chatted, we learned that she was a retired chief nurse at one of our private hospitals in town. She sits on her favorite corner of the restaurant almost everyday and paints on her canvass for hours. It's what's keeping her busy as she is a retired senior citizen already. So, that explains why she took notice of us and perhaps the many families that walked in and out of Red Ribbon everyday. We said our sincerest "thank you" to her as we parted ways but the big smile on our faces stayed longer as we drove back home.
