Good Kids

We were settling into the quiet part of the night, the time for reading just before bed, when my middle guy announced that he had something to read. He went to his back pack and pulled out a staple bound bundle of notebook paper filled with handwritten stories. He went on to tell me that he and his friends wrote them at school, not because they had to as part of an assignment, but because they had some extra time and thought it would be fun. We postponed our impending bed times and read the book together right there on the spot. The stories were filled with humor and also the sources of pride and worry that exist in the minds and experiences of 10 year old boys.

Soon after, the oldest presented an alphabet he had created.  He had fashioned 26 new characters to replace those used in traditional English writing. I again inquired about the motivation for the alphabet, thinking it was an assignment for school, only to hear again that he had just done it for fun. The characters were as unique as their author and thoughtfully expressive in their visual equivalent to the onomatopoeic  relationship they share with the sounds they will make when spoken.

The Great Improvisation

In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.

Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882)

Darwin was brilliant and eclectic and productive and plagued by physical illness and debilitated by emotional turmoil.  I’m always amazed at the minds from history and their ability to think and work so productively, especially in light of the obstacles they faced.  Yesterday my  friend Keith Shields wrote about Newton who, like Darwin, had assorted interests and extreme levels of output .  Their lives and work explored the nature of nature because it was in their nature. These men were caught up in the great creative collaboration and improvisation we all participate in because we bear the image of God.