On procrastinating

Mom: Have you guys studied for your tests yet?

Girl: Yes

Boy: Yes

Other Boy: *silence*

Mom to other boy: Are you procrastinating?

Other boy: I haven't yet, but I'm going to!

As the rest of us giggle: Wait, what does "procrastinate" mean?

Tomato Skills

This just happened between the 13 year old boy and 11 year old girl. Read with a faux British accent.

~



Do you have tomatoes skills?

Yes.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how are your tomato skills?

13.

That's impossible.

No, it's not. I have great tomato skills.

What kind of tomato skills do you have?

All of them.

Which skill are you best at?

All of them.

Do you know what tomato skills are?

Being skilled at tomatoes.

I don't think you know what tomato skills are. I'm very good at two of them.

I'm a master in three skills.  Grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and yellow tomatoes.

That's not tomato skills.  That's naming tomatoes.  Well, I'm good at picking tomatoes and eating tomatoes.

I'm good at those AND at planting tomatoes, weeding tomatoes, and looking at tomatoes. I've named a tomato "Bob." Have you?

Yes.

I've named a tomato "Joe." Have you?

No.

I've named a tomato "Kevin." Have you?

Yes.

I've named a tomato "Bacon." Have you?

No. But I've named a tomato "Stuart" because I'm very good at naming tomatoes. Did you know that Stuart has a magma gun?

A lava gun?

No a magma gun.

It's the same thing.

No, it's not.

No, you're wrong.

Nope, nope, nope...

Let justice roll

Image of a USA Stamp,
photo taken by Thomas E. Franklin

I have teared up twice today while telling the kids about the many people who died one day 14 years ago. It's so hard to remind children that things like this can happen. I followed it up by telling them that there is also so much good in this world, but we often don't hear about it. (Good people tend not to toot their own horns much.)

The hardest moment came minutes after the discussion was over, when my girl asked, "Wouldn't they have seen a plane near the building and been able stop it?" Like a sad movie ending, this one didn't make sense to her.

These moments make my heart hurt, but I am encouraged all the same. I will only become disheartened when we are no longer affected by such things.

One day, justice will roll.

Until then, we love as Jesus loved.