Lessons from a Trolley and a Pigeon
Our daughter Mary Evelyn and her family and our administrative assistant Michelle took the company van to the Christian Homeschool Association of Pennsylvania convention this past weekend, so Ray and I are traveling home from the Texas convention in a rented SUV. We rented an affordable mid-size, but when Ray went to pick it up last Tuesday, they were out of those, so they gave us a 2015 Suburban for the same price. We never drive anything close to new, so we’ve enjoyed all the new bells and whistles. We divided up the drive into two days, so we hope to be home tonight.
Two weeks ago today we were on our way home by train from Boston, having enjoyed our trip to Adams National Historical Park the day before. We were glad we had arrived early at the park because tickets are limited and entrance to the Adams homes are only allowed at specific times during the day. Sadly, some visitors arrive too late and all of the tours are booked for the day. The birthplaces of our second and sixth Presidents are side by side, but the visitor center and John and Abigail Adams’ Peace field estate are several blocks away in different directions.
The National Park Service provides trolleys to transport visitors between the sites. The ride was fun but I don’t know that I have ever been on a seat that was more slippery than those! We slipped and slid again and again on the shiny and highly-varnished wooden seats.
As we prepared to leave the Boston area the next morning, we waited at the downtown train station. The station was bustling with early morning commuters and with travelers like us. In the midst of the hubbub, a pigeon flew near us and came down for a landing. When his feet hit the hard floor, he slid to a stop.
The trolley and the pigeon remind me of an important lesson. Sometimes slipping is fun; sometimes it’s disastrous. As you homeschool your children, remember that God’s Word is the most important subject you will ever cover, because if . . .
The law of his God is in his heart;
His steps do not slip.
Psalm 37:31