Being the only student in your grade in a one-room schoolhouse for three years is comfortable. The adventure of going to a big school with new unknown situations into your life is an adventure. The first is fear of the unknown. The next is how will I stack up to others in my grade.
Charlene Banard was my best friend in 4th grade. She was a sweet unselfish girl with long curly brown hair. We would swing together on the playground at recess and discuss the problems of being a 9-year-old. One of the favorites to play were the monkey bars. This towering stack of 1" pipes were made to climb and swing on. The favorite bars were at chin height. You could hang upside down, skin the cat, this was the art of pulling yourself up while hanging and putting your feet through your hanging arms followed by the rest of your body, then release your hands and fall to the ground. All to jump up and do it again over and over. Some enjoyed the adventure of climbing precariously to the top bar about 8' high, but the most sought after were the four bars where you could hang and skin the cat. When the class was released, there was a mad race to secure one of these as yours.
One fine day I decided I was going to run faster than all the others and claim that bar as much as my prize. I was in the lead; victory was in sight. I was almost there when I turned around to grab the sought after bar; not realizing just how close I was to the bar. I miscalculated my intense speed and turned around just in time to hit that bar with my chin. There wasn't any pain but the look on the other children's faces said there was trouble. One young articulate fellow said "I think you better go show the teacher your face." So I did. She took me to the office and called my mother. She showed up in about 15 minutes and took me to the doctor's office. My chin was split open and I received my first stitches, 10 of them and a tetanus shot. The chin was still numb from the blow but I felt the shot. What a badge of honor for a hollow victory. I still carry the scar to this day.
My least favorite subject in 4th grade was Social Studies. I think I was just bored with it cause it wasn't hard. I was lazy and didn't fill out the answers in the workbook. That quarter when the grade cards were passed out the prognosis didn't look good. I had all A's and B's in everything but Social Studies. How was I delivering this news to Mom and Dad? How could I put a good spin on this? My mind was racing to think of a way to present this in a light that wouldn't bring sorrow to my parents or my backside. I thought, "I got this." With a beaming face and comical lightness to my voice I presented my report card to my mother with this narrative, "Hey Mom! I only one F."
It was one of those times when a mom wanted to laugh out loud but her better judgement holds it back. As I recall we had a long chat about the "F" and then when Dad got home, I had to explain it to him. I would plead with Mom to not make me tell Dad. He would be disappointed and tell me I could do better; then explain God wanted better from me. So that is how it went but next quarter I came home with an A in Social Studies. I never did like history in school, but I always gave it my all.
Trying to come up with cute excuses to cover up your mistakes doesn't work. Try your best at what you do. Remember God loves you and wants you to try your best.
Colossians 3:23-24
Grandma Lynn
"Packer and Stacker"