Imaginary Football Throwback

It was a brisk autumn day a few years ago when I took the Pre-K children out for morning recess. Colored leaved flew through the chilly air – alongside the imaginary footballs.

I was reminded of this story last night when a friend told another friend that she was recently hired at my school to teach Pre-K (I now teach first grade). The other friend joked that she could ride down the slide with her kids. Well…that’s not really possible given that the school’s “play equipment” is a parking lot.

So, it was fall and football was in season. The children had tired of chasing leaves and each other and they gave me the “I’m bored/cold/miserable” eyes like it was time to go back inside. No way.

We needed at least 10 more minutes of fresh air and energy release time. (Too little of this and the teacher and her students go crazy).

At that very point of near gloom, the Holy Spirit inspired an invention: the pretend football. The boys spread out and I threw it to one. He “caught” it and scored a touchdown. Praise the Lord for this miraculously simple game!

It was a little difficult at times to discover who actually held the ball, so at one point I might have had as many as six balls out there. The girls had joined as well.

I almost spoiled the game when one child whined, “So-and-so’s not giving me the ball!”

My lip was clenched in humorous self- control between my teeth…“Oh, no?” Hmm, that’s strange….I can’t even SEE the ball!

Another ball was tossed into the game and I went to talk with a prospective parent who had casually observed the whole encounter.

She was actually mid-discernment and wondered if she should send her child to our school; I would have been his teacher.

I joyfully greeted her with windblown hair, rosy cheeks, and hands dirty from playing “football.”

“Do you have any questions for me,” I asked.

“Actually I do,” she replied. “Do you ever play with real balls?”

I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I might have mentioned that if she donated some, we’d happily play with them…

Unfortunately that child never joined our class…which is a pity because we could really have used a seventh wide receiver. (Apparently, the maximum allowed on the field is five?)