Changes

It’s been a busy start to the school year. Many transitions: new families, new children, new staff. But in spite of the busyness, this is one of my favorite times of the year. Brilliant yellows, golds, reds, oranges, and browns abound as the leaves shed their summer colors for autumn’s beauty. The crispness in the early morning air reminds us that summer is rapidly fleeting and the winter chills will soon be upon us. The smell of wood smoke in the air and the aroma of apple, pumpkin, cinnamon and ginger will forever linger in my mind as “fall” fragrances. All these things remind me of God’s faithfulness. Because He is faithful, I expect these changes to take place each fall. Just as assuredly I know that after the long, cold winter, spring will arrive bursting with new life and the promise of these cycles repeating themselves.

Just as the seasons change, so do the people that surround us. And no where, it seems, is that more evident than in the lives of young children. As parents we witness the physical growth that takes place ever so dramatically when we put away the shorts and bring out the long pants. Invariably, the pants that were still a little long in the spring are suddenly inches too short!

As early childhood educators, it is even more exciting to see other kinds of changes and growth taking place in the preschoolers we see each day. The child who started with us the first of September, not even recognizing his own name, now not only recognizes his name but also knows all the letters in his name! Two kids happily sharing the blocks in the block corner, the children choosing to “read” the children’s Bible during free choice reading; the child who no longer cries when mommy leaves her at the door and the kindergartener putting letters together to sound out words are all signs of growth and change.

God has a plan for nature and the seasons and God has a plan for each individual. Sometimes the plan involves change that is simple and barely noticeable, but at other times the changes are lengthy and painful. Through the changes in our lives, it is helpful to remember that God is in control of our lives just as He is in control of the changing seasons. He is faithful and will see us through any change!

-Lorraine Brandt, Wonder Club School