Experiments In: The Trinity

If you've read my other blog posts on this topic, you'll know that my husband and I like to make life lessons fun for our kids (Experiments In: Watching What You Say and Experiments In: Needing Help).  In the summers, I would run themes that were fun for the kids and taught them something:  Science experiments, learning the kitchen, art, languages, gardening, etc.  One summer, the theme was science.  What a strange theme to use to teach God, then, huh?

The idea of the Trinity is a difficult concept even for adults.  How can God be Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all at the same time?  And if I can't wrap my mind around that, how can I get my children to understand it?

This bright summer day, I gathered my little ducklings in the kitchen.  I had a cup of water and a tray of ice on the counter and a small saucepan on the stove.  

I passed around ice cubes.  "What is this?," I asked.  "Ice cubes," they replied (with DUH in their eyes).  "Tell me about these ice cubes."  They said things like cold, square, wet, clear, hard to hold.  I explained that there were molecules in the ice and that they were not moving very fast.  In ice, they are packed very close together and don't like to move much.

I gave one of them the water and asked them to pass it around.  "What is this?," I asked.  "Water," they replied (seriously, Mom?).  "Tell me about this water," I said.  I got answers like wet, bluish, clear, liquid.  I explained that there were molecules in this water, and that they were moving around in there all the time, a little faster than the ice.  In water, they are not very close together.

"Okay, what is ice?"  They assured me it was frozen water.  

"Okay, what is water?"  They assured me it was melted ice.

I had them put the ice cubes and water in the saucepan, and I turned on the heat.  Soon we had steam.  

This is my favorite part:  "What is steam?"  I watched as their faces morphed into an AHA! moment.  "It's water!  It came from the water and ice!"  

"Exactly.  So, you understand now that this is all just water in three forms: Frozen, liquid, and gas, right?  But it's still all just water."  And I saw their sweet faces show pride in themselves as they got it.

"This is exactly like God.  God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  But He's still God.  God in three forms, still God.  Understand?"

And boom.  They got it.  A difficult spiritual concept explained by science. 

The Trinity is a big deal in my house.  Yes, God for sure, but it also stands for my youngest, Austin, who was born at 3:33.  He's convinced the trinity is his symbol (and who could argue with that?).  We also have a dog named Trinity. Because who can resist paying tribute both to God and The Matrix at the same time?  

Yep.  We're godly and geeks at the same time.  Now you know.

Payday

Work product

Yesterday I was frantically trying to figure out the finances.  Today is Payday.

I have two people inside me:  One went to college and wanted to take the world by storm.  I can definitely be a workaholic, and have been.  I love putting out a superior product with superior service.  The other person inside me has wanted to be a mom since as far back as I have memories.  I sort of run that the same way:  I'm a workaholic, I want to put out a superior product, and I want to serve them well.  The first one pays a lot more than the second, though.  And I have that tug of war that many (most? all?) women have as they want to contribute financially to their home but want to be everything to their families.  I do have a business (or three) running from home, some more successful than others.  But my most important job and most beloved job title remains Mama.

This morning I woke up to a Mama job bonus.  A million-dollar bonus.  In the night, my daughter had put something on Twitter.  For those of you unfamiliar with Twitter, you can put a hashtag (# symbol) in front of something you write on Twitter and it becomes a way for people to search for that thing.  So, if I wrote, "Just burned the roast. #foodnetwork," then people can go to #foodnetwork on Twitter and see the posts from everyone there, and the people at Food Network can comment on them (hopefully helping you with that roast).  So, here's what I woke up to:

#thingsmymomtaughtme independence, confidence, hard work ethic, success, empathy, faith, loyalty @DanetteSteimle <3

#thingsmymomtaughtme always stay classy, no matter what

She could have written anything at all - you should read some of them.  A personal fave was from a teenage boy: #thingsmymomtaughtme A jealous woman does better research than the FBI.  (Props to that mama!)  But my girl wrote things I yearn for her to know.

It's these things that are a mom's payday.  And it made me think of things my kids did that made it Payday for me:

Ty wrote the most amazing and sublime essay based on his childhood.  Some of the things that he imparted to me will stay with me forever.  He's written me poems, encouraging letters, and sweet cards.  And he never never pulls away from a hug first - even if he has to leave.  

Holly finds ways to write the most loving notes to me:  Texts, Facebook, little notes on the counter (attached to Voodoo donuts!), and now Twitter.  She shows up with her blanket, pillow, and water in hand and announces we'll be watching a show together now.  

Austin never misses kissing me right before he leaves the house and right when he comes back in the house.  He asks me about my day.  He opens my doors, carries my packages, and always offers me his arm when we're walking anywhere, even in front of his buddies.    

In my type-A way, I dwell on the finances of my family.  How can I make them go further?  How can I bring in some?  How can I pay that?  But today is Payday.  I will simply roll around in my bonuses today.  Today I will be content and so very, very grateful.


What does your Payday look like?

Voting Blind

I voted.  And I voted "blind" this time.  I was curious about whether I was truly more Republican or Democrat.  Whether I identified with one of them over the other because of other influences: because my parents leaned one way; because my friends leaned one way; because of the media.  So, as I researched each person who ran on my ballot, I covered up the party affiliation.  I read about the actual person.  I went online and checked out their values, their issues, their positions, their education, their qualifications for the job.  

And I voted.  Blind.  For governor.  For state attorney general.  For senators.  For president.  For vice president.  I blackened in those bubbles with permanent ink.  It felt amazing to know I'd chosen people I really, truly thought were right for the job.  

And then I uncovered the party affiliations and tallied them up.  Just to know. Just to see whether I truly leaned one way or the other.  And guess what?  The tally was 6 one side and 8 the other.  Right down the middle.  And that made me think...

What if we could cover up everyone's "affiliation?"  Cover up titles such as, attractive, unattractive, poor, rich, smart, dumb, thin, fat, and other words I do not say?  What if we would mentally blank people out - look at them like a mental silhouette - so we would judge them based on the content of their character?  How would our lives change?  What people would we have as friends that we don't now?  What jobs would we take that we have spurned?  What books would we read, what advice would we take, what clothes would we wear, what labels would we use/reject?

I'm going to try it.  Friending blind.  Choosing blind.  And I'm going to hope people will do that with me. 

Experiments In: Needing Help

You probably already know that my husband and I try to find fun ways to teach our kids life lessons (Experiments In: Watching What You Say).  Another of these was the Stairs Experiment.  It's one of my favorites.  

You must have or find some stairs.  The only requirement is that the portion of staircase you use be higher than the tallest kid - he can't be able to reach the top by reaching from standing at the bottom.  After you find an adequately high staircase, about 4-5 steps or so, put your husband (brother, mom, dad, sister, friend) at the top.  Just standing there.  They are to not talk; say nothing, just stand there quietly.

We put Daddy at the top.  I gathered all of the children at the bottom of the staircase.  

I showed them a $10 bill.  I waved it around a little.  I'm like that.

Then I told them, "First one to reach the top of the stairs where Daddy is waiting without touching any part of the staircase, including the walls, railing, steps, etc., gets the ten dollars."

Now, you may think that the kids would just stop and say that this is impossible and then it's over.  I've done this experiment many times, and every single time the kids try to figure out how to get up there.  Particularly if you have older kids.  They even put their heads together to collaborate - something I tell them they are certainly welcome to do.  You'll see why. ;-)  They will jump, hop, try to fly (this is why it's important the landing at the top is taller than the tallest child).  

And inevitably... "We give up!  There's no way to reach the top.  It's impossible!"  

I turned to Daddy, waiting patiently and silently at the top of the stairs, and said, "Come down and pick up Ty."  My husband walked down the stairs, picked Ty up and piggybacked him up the stairs - without Ty touching any part of the staircase, including the walls, railing, and steps.  Then he went down and piggybacked every kid up the stairs.

I called them back down, gathered them together, and told them, "Sometimes in life, when you need to do something difficult, you will need help.  You will need someone else to carry you through it."

In our house, Daddy represented God, and we told our children to rely on Him.  To allow Him to carry them through the tough stuff, up those hills of life.  But we also reminded them that, along with allowing God to carry them, they would also need to rely on parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, teachers, mentors, doctors, nurses, etc., to carry them through.  

Allowing other people to help me, personally, has always been a unique challenge.  Type-A people don't like that very much (#understatement).  Giving my kids a visual, experiential view of this was important to me.  Even though I was on the "giving" end of this experiment, I still bring up the picture in my mind when I need to let go and allow God and others to help carry me through the valleys.  

Well, that and my kids, having learned this lesson well, always come carry me out.