Sitting on the couch downstairs in the family room, I continued hearing a faint chorus float down from my daughters room.  At first, I didn’t pay it any attention, yet like most things that are important, the sound lingered until I looked over at my wife and asked, “What are they doing up there?”.  It did not take long for me to find out. 

In they came, my nine-year-old daughter, her friend from next door and my five-year-old son.  Walking into the family room, they announced that they would like to present a play they had been rehearsing about Rosa Parks.  My wife and I both looked at each other and said, “OK.” 

Where they got the idea to present this play I am not sure, but here they were, dressed up and acting out the famous Rosa Parks bus scene complete with some twenty-first century modifications—the bus driver called 911 from his cell phone.  The climatic ending, all three children held each others hands in the jail cell and started singing the chorus to the Dixie Chicks song “I Hope”—the chorus that I had previously heard faintly echoing down the stairs. 

I was surprised.  My kids have no idea the impact of their playful play.  The book I was reading at that moment, Leadership and the New Science by Margaret Wheatley, offered this thought.  “Surprise is the only route to discovery, the only path we can take if we are to search out the important principles that can govern our work” (Wheatley 1992: 142).  Which in turn reminded me of a quote from the book Follow Me To Freedom by Shane Claiborne and John Perkins, “When God blesses, the blessing is not stagnant: it moves and multiplies.  The idea is to plant a seed, then water and grow it—and the give it to the next generation.  The blessing is not for one person (it is not just for you or me alone).  Rather, it was given to Abraham and is now given to us so that we might be a blessing to others.  That’s the real purpose of ministry” (Claiborne, Perkins 2009: 23).

I guess the thing that strikes me the most is that a seed led to their “play”, and their “play” planted a seed.  It will be interesting to see how God nurtures both, yes I am unsure what will come, but I hope.

“I Hope” by the Dixie Chicks from the “Taking the Long Way” Album 2002

Sunday morning, I heard the preacher say
Thou shall not kill,
I don’t wanna, hear nothing else
About killing, and that it’s God’s will
‘Cause our children are watching us
They put their trust in us
They’re gonna be like us
So let’s learn from our history
And do it differently 

I hope
For more love, for joy and laughter (I hope)
We’ll have more than we’ll ever need (I hope)
We’ll have more happy ever afters (I hope)
We can all live more fearlessly
And we can lose all the pain and misery
I hope, I hope 

Oh, Rosy
Her man he gets too rough
And all she can say
Is he’s a good man
He don’t mean no harm
He was just brought up that way 
And our children are watching us
They put their trust in us
They’re gonna be like us
Its okay for us to disagree
We can work it out lovingly 

I hope
For love, for joy and laughter (I hope)
You’ll have more than you’ll ever need (I hope)
You’ll have more happy ever afters
We can all live more fearlessly
And you can lose all your pain and misery
I hope, I hope 

There must be a way
To change what’s going on
No I don’t have all the answers 

I hope
For more love, for joy and laughter (I hope)
You’ll have more than you’ll ever need (I hope)
They’ll be more happy ever afters (I hope)
We can all live more fearlessly
And we can lose all our pain and misery
I hope, I hope, I hope, I hope, I hope, I hope