I once worked in the school lunchroom in the Springdale (Arkansas) School District. I drove a school bus in the mornings and then worked 2.5 hours in the lunchroom as a lunchroom monitor. After that I would drive the bus in the afternoons. I really enjoyed the interaction with the students.
The first year I started in 2011, I noticed the kindergartners would smile and snicker as I passed by their table. One day a little girl called me Mr. Pillow and everyone laughed. I thought nothing of it. About a week later another little girl ran up to me and said, “Do you want to know why we call you Mr. Pillow?” I said, “I sure do!” She said, “It is because it looks like you are hiding a pillow under your shirt!” I laughed and from that day on all the students in the school called me Mr. Pillow. I was known as Mr. Pillow for the next 9 years.
For Halloween I obviously dressed up as a huge pillow. When the kids would ask my last name I would say, “Case!” I had so much fun with all the kids in the lunchroom.
Let me share a few things I learned from these kids K-5. When you put a note in the lunchbox of your kindergartner, sometimes I must read it to them. I always would add my own last sentence, “Tell Mr. Pillow I said hello!” They would always smile and laugh.
If you tell your child, you are coming to the school to have lunch with them make absolutely sure you do just that. It is amazing how excited a child is when mom or dad or even grandpa or grandma show up for lunch. My suggestion is to surprise them with your lunch visit. Therefore, I say that for a reason.
I was working one day in the lunchroom and Sarah, a first grader, came in and sat down with her tray. She stared at the lunchroom doors. I noticed she was not eating at all. I also noticed she was crying. I sat down by her and asked her if she was sick. She said, “No, my daddy said he would come today and eat lunch with me at school.” I assured her he was probably running late but she should get started eating.
Sadly, he never came and she never took a bite. She spent her 25 minutes looking at the lunchroom doors with tears coming down her cheeks. Life happens and plans can change at a moment’s notice. Maybe it is best to just surprise them, and you get to see them run to you and jump in your arms.
During my years at this elementary school, I worked the playground as a playground monitor some. At the beginning of my second year, there were four 5th grade girls that would come and sit by me on the sidewalk and talk and talk and talk. I would listen and laugh with them. Keep in mind I was 54 years old. I thought it was strange so after about a month of this I went to the principal and asked her if she would talk to these girls and their teachers and ask them to go play with their friends at recess. I felt it looked bad to the other teachers on the playground duty with me. She promised she would do that for me but first she wanted to explain something to me.
She had a sad look on her face. She told me, “The four 5th grade girls she had seen sitting with me at recess are all friends and are all from homes with no dads at home. Sure, one of them has a dad that visits his daughter but the other three have no dads that care. These girls are looking for a father figure in their lives or in your case a grandfather figure. Someone to talk to besides mom.” I understood and withdrew my request. It was not long after that I guess they had talked enough, and they would only come by on occasion. It all worked out ok, and they knew I was always around if they wanted to talk.
That is how it is with God. God is always around and ready to listen and even speak to our hearts if we will take time enough to listen. Conversing with God is a two-way street. He wants to talk to us too. Have you ever been around someone who talks all the time? You can’t get in word into the conversation, so you just nod your head for an hour as you try to leave the room. God does not want us to just spill out our requests, but he wants to hear how much we love Him and are thankful to Him. He wants our praise, too. Then he wants to share His wisdom through His Word and even speaking directly to our hearts through the Holy Spirit. God is our Heavenly Father, He created us in our mother’s womb. The more you talk with him the closer you both will become to each other. In fact, that is what He wants, a personal, intimate relationship with us.
Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
Philippians 4:9 “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
Revelation 3:20 “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
