Wednesday, December 8, 2010

What You Have to Know

Typing Out My Flair
Yesterday, I receive a sweet email from a wonderful 5th grader in another part of the country.  She's the amazing girl who owns her own business and announced, regarding her appearance, that "a face without freckles is like the sky without stars."  Her story appeared in an August blog post

This email contains two questions for me to answer.  She has to know how long it takes me to blog and where I get my ideas.  Even though I want to get back to bed to recover from my cold, I can't resist answering her.  Such curiosity!  Such interest in somebody else!  I feel honored to be that somebody else.  I respond and tell her I normally work on my blog for 30 minutes to 1 hour a day (I don't have any more time than that!).  Then I tell her the great secret of living with flair:  I ask God in the shower every morning to show me the flair that day.  Then I start looking for the beautiful thing that reminds me of a spiritual truth that can help me live my life better.  It might be common; it might be small, but I can find it every day. 

Then, she asks me all about my Neighborhood Fitness Group because she wants to start her own.  I'm so impressed that I have to tell her everything--our dance music play list, our jumping jack challenge, our tendency to get rowdy and need adult supervision.  I even tell her about our Community Announcement time at the end when we talk about healthy eating and how to stay active in the winter.  

I imagine she will start her own group.  She's a 5th grader who wants to help her community.

I finish typing and get back to bed.  I'm thinking about my own children and how I might raise them to have curious hearts, to take an interest in other people's ideas and projects, and to launch their own neighborhood initiatives.  Being interviewed by a 5th grader reminds me that even children, especially children, live with flair that inspires me. 

I'm sure my freckled friend is on to other interviews today.  There are so many things she just has to know. 







5 comments:

Marcus Goodyear said...

I depend on my kids for flair--so much that I worry what will happen as they grow up. Will I lose my sense of whimsy when I can't play legos with my son and Monopoly with my daughter? (She beats me every time.)

Michelle DeRusha said...

Absolutely kids live with and embrace flair, almost every minute of their everyday. I was just telling my son Noah the other night how grateful I am that he notices the little things and points them out to me -- I'm afraid I'd rush right by without his astute gaze to guide me.

Unknown said...

It's the innocent children-the ones at the stage where they know that they can do anything be anything that remind us of the true beauty of life. Sometimes we forget that as we grow up. We lose the curiosity b/c we don't want to be the one with all the questions, but the one with the questions finds answers. This blog reminded me of that. She does have flair, that freckled young girl:) Love your blog, just found it- I followed! If you get the chance, pass by my blog and say hi. Also, I have a FB page where I do bible studies and video studies-you should check it out when you have the time. God bless!

-Reyna
www.glamglory.blogspot.com

E.M.B. said...

I am very honored that my essay made your blog! This was supposed to be fictional, but I'm glad you answered my questions. It would really bother me to not hear the answers.

Ann Kroeker said...

What I love is your secret...asking God in the shower to show you that day's flair.

Then you trust that it will be there, somewhere, in your day...to write about...to share.