Willa White's Blog

My son is in PreK now, so I am a regular parent volunteer in his classroom.  Under the heading of "parent participation", I enjoy a morning among preschoolers reading books, singing songs, learning ABCs and letter sounds, reviewing geometric shapes, doing craft projects, putting together puzzles, playing, helping with coats and bookbags, and (of course) snacktime.  In my efforts to provide them with healthy snacks on the days I am visiting, I bring clementine oranges, baby carrots, and sugar snap peas.  Yesterday, with the approval and encouragement of the teacher, I brought my popcorn air popper and demonstrated this method of preparing popcorn. I took a survey among the children and none of them (except for my son) had seen a popcorn air popper before.  They thought popcorn came from a microwave bag.  They were very excited to see the popcorn suddenly burst over and funnel into the bowl.  Their giggles and enthusiasm were wonderful! ...

On a day when the snow was melting in the early February sun, my son and I were walking and enjoying the thaw.  We admired the rare blue of the sky and the sunshine on our faces (at least the parts not covered by hats and scarves).  Glancing up, I saw a group of clouds with a small opening where the sun was bursting through.  I immediately turned to my son, pointed to that part of the sky and said, "Look, the eye of God!"  I'm not quite sure why I have always considered that phenomenon in the sky His Eye, but I have.  On those rare days that I see it, I feel calm and joyful and protected.  God is watching over us through that heavenly aperture. He said, "The eye of God?"  "Yes, do you see that hole in the clouds with the sun beaming through?" I responded.  "When Daddy and I got married, we saw the Eye of God in the sky watching us at that very moment,"  I told him. As soon as he saw it, he gave a joyful greeting "H...