Games . . .
board games,
simple card games,
paper and pencil games,
computer games . . .
How wonderful to have
have them around
when things get boring.
Challenge the mind
or play meaninglessly.
Either way
they are exciting.
Watching my students
create their own
Mancala boards
then play the game.
How much fun
was that?
Watching them begin,
playing mindlessly
then starting
to realize
there are strategies
to this game.
I swear . . .
sometimes I honestly
think I saw light bulbs
go off over their heads
and
steam coming out
of their ears.
The brains were working
in ways
a textbook
nor I
could teach.
A simple
egg carton
and dried beans . . .
who would have thought
these could be used
to expand the minds
of 6th graders?
Dear Lord,
Thank you for allowing our ancestors to have some free time where they could create simple games. Those simple games have developed into games beyond their wildest imaginations.
Playing games have helped me through times of stress and times of boredom. Times of happiness and times of sadness.
I know a mind is a terrible thing to waste but sometimes playing a mindless game causes me to concentrate and forget or not concentrate and goof off. Either way, they help me through my days and nights.
Amen
