Wondering

_by Mrs. Geertse ma_

When Mrs. Blokland asked if I’d writing about something that I wondered about this summer, I thought, “I wonder what I can write about?” I didn’t spend the summer traveling far or learning a new language or experiencing a new hobby. My life was kept busy with more mundane, everyday activities – laundry, driving kids around, cooking, and swimming.

At first thought, it seemed that the only wondering I did this summer may have been tied directly to having a toddler in the house. “I wonder if it will be easier to wipe up the soggy cheerios off the floor now, or wait until they’ve dried and sweep them up?” or “I wonder which would make less mess – an ice cream sandwich or a popsicle?” and of course, “I wonder what she is trying to tell me???” as she babbles and points and waits eagerly for my response.

But just because from the outside my summer may not have looked very exciting doesn’t mean that there wasn’t much to learn, experience, see, enjoy and even wonder about, even in the midst of the mundane.

There is much to marvel about in our world. The variety of plants in our own parks and communities is incredible. Lush bushes, flowering plants, tall trees. The insects scurrying on the pavement, the birds singing their varied songs, the clouds and their ever-shifting shapes. These are things that we can notice, even while we are hanging up laundry or going for a bike ride. When I stop and think about these things, I wonder and marvel about the nature of our Creator. His creativity and attention to detail and beauty is incredible.

Having young children around is a good reminder about the wonder and awe of creation. On a recent trip to Ottawa with my three youngest (ages 7, 5 and 1 ½), we wondered excitedly about city buses, especially the accordion-style ones. And we visited the Agricultural Museum and wondered about cow names, colours of chicken eggs, and baby pigs playing together. During our picnic, we also wondered about wasps, and how they fit into God’s design for creation.

God created us to ask questions, to look around us and seek answers. Children from a young age begin to ask why and when and how. They naturally have a sense of curiosity and wonder. It is our hope that as we begin a new year, we as staff will be able to delve into this sense of wonder with your children, as we work to find answers together. We will find answers to the little things, like “When is it recess?” and also try to understand the big questions, like “How will I show Christ’s love today?”

Earlier this week, our teachers sat down together, guided by a local pastor, and wondered about the kingdom of God. What does the Bible say about it? What can we compare it to? When and how does God’s kingdom come? What could it look like in the halls and classrooms of Timothy Christian School? We imagined and dreamed together how can build God’s kingdom within the walls of TCS and in the community. We are excited to begin this new year and be kingdom builders together with our students. I wonder how God can build his kingdom here?
As I reflect on my summer, I see again God’s faithfulness to us and to his creation. The chance to be outside, spend time with my family, and enjoy creation have been a gift. To reflect on this gift and praise the one who gave it makes that gift all the more fulfilling. This gift of a break in routine and a time of refreshing that renews us and makes us ready to take up the job that God has given to us at school.