The Crayons Spoke to Me!!!

  My students kept me ON MY TOES today as I read the book, The Crayon Box That Talked,  to the class. Questions and comments exploded from all corners of the room the entire time I was reading!......"What was the day before today?"......"Saturday"...."no, Sunday"...."nah, it was Saturday"..."you're right Sunday"....."The red one is the meanest!"....."Yep, the red and the orange!"...."That's not nice!"...."She is doing a good job."....."That picture is pretty!"



  Kids don't miss a thing. As I finished reading the book, I reminded them of another book we had read, I Like Myself! We talked about why it is important to be true to who you are and how everyone is unique. Well, it never fails....and especially since I have twins in my class....they point out how twins are the same. I explained that they are similar, just as scarlet and red in the crayon box are similar but not exactly the same. We talked about the twins in our class. One has "sprinkles on her nose" and the other one doesn't. One laughs at everything while the other one has a more serious side. We also talked about how boring it would be if everyone looked and acted the same. The kids loved discussing this topic and these books.
  I attempted to pull them back in to the crayon book and asked how many people liked the picture the girl drew. Most of the class raised their hand. I asked if they thought the picture would have been as pretty drawn all in one color. They replied no.....and one sweet voice said, it takes all the colors to make a beautiful picture ...like the rainbow! I smiled and said, you are exactly right....just like it takes all of our colorful personalities to make this an outstanding class. We all offer something unquie! :)
  As I was thinking back on this tonight, I couldn't help but think to myself that I just really don't care for the dark colors like brown or black when I draw a picture. I like the bright cheery colors. However, I do like to outline with black. It's my guide...my commitment...my point of no return....my dark before the dawn.....and eventhough I'm not fond of those dark colors, they sure do make the bright colors shine and pop when in direct contrast to one another.
  Sometimes I think this is what happens in life. God allows us to have the darker outlines in order for us to appreciate the brighter content within the borders. I think the next time darkness creeps my way I'll break out my crayon box and begin to fill in the brighter content and exam the contrast ......all the while being sure to remain ON MY TOES!.....and wait to see the masterpiece unfold!