Lessons are everywhere and in everything, if we look hard enough. I can be guilty of looking too hard some times but I love learning and teaching so the search is almost natural for me, however frustrating it can be at times. There are some lessons that are very obvious and others that take some time and pondering. I got a lesson today from two of my favorite people – Ryan and Braden, my nephews. I was reading them a book they got from the library.
It is a book that was written September 12th, 2001. And with each turn of the page, I began to see the elementary reality of fear:
There’s a lot to be scared of, that’s for sure.
There’s that mean-looking dog,
and booming thunderstorms.
There are roller coasters,
and scary stories in the news.
There’s a lot to be scared of, like getting up in front of a whole bunch of people,
and spiders
and other creepy crawly things.
There are clowns,
and spooky shadows in your room,
and people who look different from you.
All this scary stuff can make you want to hide under your covers and never come out.
But after a while, hiding under your covers can get boring.
Maybe that scary dog only looks mean.
If you hide under your covers, you won’t see the rainbow after the storm,
and you might never enjoy the thrill of the ride!
If you hide under your covers, you’ll miss you mother saying everything is going to be alright,
and you might never know how great you sound singing a solo.
If you hide under your covers, you might not see
all the interesting things in your own backyard.
You’ll miss laughing out loud,
and you won’t see the stars come out.
And just think of all the new friends you’ll never meet!
There’s a lot to be scared of, but there’s even more to look forward to …
so throw off those covers!
There’s a big, beautiful world out there just waiting for you!
(this was used without the authors permission)
