The moment every high school senior waits for, the traditional tossing their caps in the air at the end of the graduation ceremony. Always puts a smile on your face.
Graduation Hats in The Air
I have had four seniors graduate from high school and every spring I still get excited around commencement time. My son will graduate from college and although it seems as though the occasion should be celebrated with more fan fare it’s not the same as graduating from high school.
The end of high school marks not only twelve years of basic schooling but an entry into adulthood and the leaving behind of childhood.
To most 18 year olds it’s the start of a new life away from home, college, the military, moving away and living on their own without Mom and Dad hovering over them. It’s freedom to stay out as late as you want with no questions asked. I think the photo above says it all, pure joy.
Parents on the other hand tend to cry, weep and feel melancholy during May and June. Their baby is going away, they won’t hear their voices in the house and it’s the last pull of the apron string.
So what do you get a high school graduate to commemorate this special occasion in their life? How do you put into a gift what your heart feels yet give them something they will cherish and keep? If you think about it kids want money, but money doesn’t last.
I’ve asked my Twitter (I am @3Quarters2Day) followers what they suggested and I had many suggestions. Here are just a few.
Money (of course)
Gift cards
Movie Cards
Gas Cards
Then of course the gifts you can’t buy: a job, brains, common sense
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I love teaching Sunday School. I especially when I have a visual aid that gets the kids excited. Kids Sunday School lessons are always more fun, engaging and memorable when you kids can relate everyday items, events, and discoveries to Jesus and the Bible.
Here is how to grow a Resurrection plant as an example of Jesus Christ and the Resurrection Easter.
On Palm Sunday I used this unique Resurrection Plant to show the death of Christ and how the Easter miracle of resurrection brings everlasting life and rebirth with the forgiveness of sins. Easter lessons in Sunday school classes should be especially memorable.
I’m always looking for ways to keep kids interested and looking forward to attending Sunday School. When kids reach 4th-6th grade they often are bored with fill in the blanks, coloring, and crafts. A Sunday school resurrection lesson is perfect for Easter or Holy week but works just as well during other church seasons.
During my 25 years of teaching Sunday school at Trinity Lutheran Church I have learned a lot, and obviously every year I teach the kids about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is difficult for kids to wrap their tiny brains around “everlasting life”. It’s hard for adults to grasp as well.
The best way I have of getting kids to remember their lessons from week to week, or even from one year to the next is to give leading questions and they supply the answers. They discover the true Easter lesson of resurrection, life everlasting and how the water from their Baptism gives life to their faith.
Introduction:
Does this plant look dead to you? Why? What makes it dead (get input from all the students, going around the room)
Do you think it could ever come back to life and be green again? (again get input from kids)
What if I said I can make this plant live again. Would you believe me?
Pass out the bowls, pour about 2 inches in each child’s bowl
What’s in the bowl? (obviously water- use references to baptism)
Give each student a Rose Jerico (Resurrection plant) of their own and have them place it in the water. Explain how Jesus remained in the tomb for three days before he rose from the dead on Easter morning. Jesus appeared dead in the tomb. Your plant appears dead.
2 Hours- kids can come back down after church to see the progress
If you are doing this lesson on Palm Sunday this same Sunday school activity continues the next week as an Easter Sunday lesson.
You can discuss how every living thing needs water. We can go without food for several days, but we can’t live without water. We can’t live without water, we can’t truly live in Christ without Baptism.
Faith – feed your faith – water it on a regular basis – How? Answer: Scripture, attending church
What is a Resurrection Plant?
The Resurrection plant is also known as the Rose of Jerico, Miracle Fern, or even the Dinosaur plant. While they are actually a couple of different species they have several traits in common. Both are from very arid parts of the world. During the dry seasons, the plant curls inward in a protection mode. It is thought this plant can lay dormant for 100 years just waiting for rain.
They appear dead without water, yet when their roots are placed in the water this grey dead (seemingly) plant uncurls, opens up, turns green and comes back to life. Much like water in baptism gives you new life.
We placed the Resurrection Plant in a bowl of water and I promised to take pictures during the next 24 hours and bring them the next week, along with the plant. Here is the sequence.
The kids decided they wanted to plant this remarkable plant and keep it in our classroom as a reminder of the miracle of Christs’ death and Resurrection. I think that is a good idea. Sounds like another Sunday School activity to me.
It’s a good idea to purchase one for every student, then they can take it home after Easter as a daily reminder. You can purchase Rose Jerico plants in bulk from several nursery suppliers on Etsy.
A resurrection plant is the perfect Easter Sunday School activity.. Also know as the Rose of Jerico this plant shows an example of the resurrection of Christ.
They don’t have to worry about watering and killing the plant as the Jerico fern keeps coming back to life.
Time Lapse Video of a Resurrection Plant
It was actually very amazing how fast the plant opened. The video below of the Rose of Jericho plant opening is obviously a time lapse.
But in just a few hours from the start of Sunday school at 9:30 until when church was dismissed the plant had opened halfway. I did use warm water, that might have an impact. All I know is the kids loved it.
So do you think you might be using a Rose of Jerico (Resurrection Plant) for your Easter Sunday School Lesson this year?
Photography Tips: You will notice the photo at the 10 hour mark is distinctly “off color” and the others are pure white, even with the SOOC, straight out of the camera. I left this on purpose. I have been experimenting with my cameras white balance and none of the preset options (fluorescent, incandescent) gave me the results I wanted, so I tried the custom and LOVED the results.
I consider the greatest gift someone can give is life and for one parent to give a gift of adoption to parents, who either cannot have children of their own or want to unselfishly add another child to their home, is one of the biggest gift of love. I was lucky enough to witness a father and son adoption reunion and it was amazing all the way around.
For various reasons, pregnancy, a baby, and a family does not fit and is not the right timing. So choices are made. A choice made forty-eight years ago resulted in a baby boy (my husband) placed with a farm family in western Nebraska through Nebraska Children’s Home. Then the same baby boy made a similar choice twenty seven years later and gave the gift of adoption and love to another rural Nebraska couple.
Father and son Meeting for the First Time
During those many years, the father wondered what had become of his son. He hoped to eventually meet him, hoped and prayed that day would come. The son too also longed to one day meet his birth father who had written him letters when he was a baby.
Neither officially searched for each other, they were both quite happy with their lives, yet through a course of events and random contacts, the unbelievable happened. After reading this story I dare you to think of the course of life to be a random act of coincidences.
An Adoption Reunion Story Worth Telling
Randy (on the left, my husband) lived in a small apartment complex in Lincoln Nebraska. This small community of neighbors has provided each one acts of kindness in ranging from sharing meals, rides to the doctor, friendship, or just an encouraging word. This weekend Scott, who lives across the courtyard from Randy, called him over to tell him he had some news.
Scott was helping a buddy out with a car and through the course of this repair got a ride from Brandon (right). Scott was struck my this young man’s presence and appearance and said the commonly stated expression, “I know you from somewhere.”
The normal course of the conversation ensued, referring to places they lived, schools, churches, and people. It got around to Brandon stating “I don’t know, I’m adopted, all I know is my birth fathers’ name is Randy and he lives in Lincoln.”
It was then that Scott looked at Brandon and a said: “I know your Father, he lives across from me and you are his spitting image.” I can’t even imagine the thoughts and feelings that were going through their mind and heart. They both told me later it made them shake and their hearts race. Phone numbers were exchanged.
When Scott told this to Randy the feeling intensified. There was no doubt, no questioning in any of these three men. Each one believed that this good news was the truth. As Randy and I were fixing supper he received the phone call from his first born son who wanted to know his Father. They spoke for a short time, as it was obvious that both wanted to meet.
An invitation to supper was extended and less than an hour later Father and son walked across the yard, shook hands, and embraced for the first time. Both were shaking and tears were shed. The picture above was taken shortly after when they came to the door. The resemblance is uncanny, not just in appearances but in how much they are alike.
Both are amazing singers, sang in their University choirs, both took nine years of piano lessons, love to fish (and have made arrangements to go fishing), are very good cooks, and are avid movie buffs with a vast movie collection. At times they have only lived a few miles from each other.
Father and Son Update
Since I wrote this story father and son have developed a strong friendship. They hunt together, fish together and our families are connected in many ways. An antique farming disc belonging to my husbands family now sits in the garden at Brandon’s parents’ house, connecting the families together symbolically.
There are many connections between all of the families and no one feels threatened. It is an amazing relationship.
Christian View of Adoption
I know many people who are adopted, including my self. Some have the negative viewpoint that they were rejected by their birth parents. I look it at as the biggest unselfish gift a Mother (and Father) can give. I am thankful for life, for being given parents who wanted me enough to go above and beyond, to accept the gift of life from other parents who loved their child enough to give them a second chance.
Over the years I have often thought of looking for my own birth parents, if for only to say “Thank You.” Another choice could have been made, and I’m so glad it wasn’t.
I don’t believe in coincidence, but that God has a plan for our life. There are people placed in our lives for a reason, so the work of God can be displayed. This was also the lesson I shared with my Sunday School students this Sunday and part of Pastor’s sermon. There are events that happen to remind us of Christ unconditional love and forgiveness. We just need to open our eyes, believe, and have faith.
What lies in the future for these men is unknown, but they both know that this random meeting was not random, and both are embracing the amazing work of God.
Find Adopted Family Member
Whether you decide to search for your birth parents, siblings or child make sure you think it through, do research, and ask WHY are you searching. Is it because you are unhappy with your current lot in life because if so finding more people to insert into your world may complicate things, not solve the problem.
I went through periods, every time I was pregnant, where I was interested in health history. But when my babies were born that desire passed. Every now and then my kids ask me if I know my ethnic heritage and I can’t tell them. So, for them, I may consider it, before I get too old. (UPDATE: Idid find an adoptive family member)
But regardless, every adoptee has a family and a Mother and Father who raised them. They are your true family.
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It’s March madness time! A time where college basketball fans, and those that just like to compete in office pools, fill out brackets to determine the NCAA championship. However Nebraska has it’s own form of March madness. The NSAA High school version.
For 101 years the Nebraska State Athletic Association has organized and crowned the high school basketball championships in the month of March. You thought Nebraska was just a football state, well it is, except the first two weeks in March. Then basketball fans come out in droves from every corner of the state and every size school and converge on Lincoln Nebraska to cheer their hometowns and watch good basketball.
Twenty four teams from each of the six classes of schools (Class A to Class D2) in both the boys and the girls basketball compete in Lincoln Nebraska. That makes a total of 288 schools, and approximately 3,400 students compete in the Nebraska high school basketball tournament.
Passions run deep in small communities and many schools normally schedule school days off during the tournament so students can attend. This is especially true of schools that normally compete every year. It’s also an opportunity for alumni who live in Lincoln to attend a “home town” game and have a reunion with classmates and friends.
I attended boys Class D2 games this year and followed Wauneta-Palisade. The high school student body is 49 students. Yes, you read right, 49 students from 9-12th grade, each graduating class contains approximately 12 students. Class D2 is the smallest class of school in Nebraska and as expected is comprised of rural schools in the far reaches of the state. Class A is the largest with a much larger student population of 1200-1800, comprised mainly Omaha and Lincoln schools.
But, regardless of the size school these students play hard! Each Wauneta–Palisade game was decided in the last seconds of the game with the Broncos making it all the way to the finals and losing by one point at the buzzer to Giltner. It’s always heartbreaking watching the seniors realize this is there last high school game. But they can’t sit still for long, because spring track season starts the next week.
Yes, in small Nebraska schools we raise all-round athletes, the same boys will play football, basketball, and then track. So, welcome track season!
To put everyone in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit I thought this week called for a little green and a few leprechauns. Last weekend a thousand people took part in the Leprechaun Chase 10K run held at Mahoney State Park in near Ashland, Nebraska. The race started and ended at the Strategic Air and Space museum, located next to the state park, and it was quite the site to see. They were not little green men, but fun just the same. I wonder if they found a pot of gold at the end of the race?
Leprechaun Chase in Nebraska
I did not run, nor did I walk, I was a volunteer and helped my daughters Spirit Squad (cheerleading) from Elmwood-Murdock high school with their first official fundraiser. The premise of this race is the women get a 5 1/2 minute head start, then the men (leprechauns) chase them. If a women wins they get free drinks, green beer, and if the men catch the women and win, the men get green beer.
Never have I seen so much green in one location. Obviously there was a costume contest and it was difficult to chose between the kilted red bearded Irishmen, or the mass of green above. So, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day I give you the bearded leprechaun below as a bonus.
Lucky Leprechaun
If you have participated in a Leprechaun Chase race I’d love to see your costume or hear about your experience.
Jeremiah 29:11 Keyring
as an example of Jesus Christ and the Resurrection Easter.
to show the death of Christ and how the Easter miracle of resurrection brings everlasting life and rebirth with the forgiveness of sins. Easter lessons in Sunday school classes should be especially memorable.
, Miracle Fern, or even the 
. While they are actually a couple of different species they have several traits in common. Both are from very arid parts of the world. During the dry seasons, the plant curls inward in a protection mode. It is thought this plant can lay dormant for 100 years just waiting for rain.
Father and Son Update
