car line

We have a busy school.  There are almost 1000 children at our school and we're only K-2nd grade.  In the mornings, parents volunteer to open car doors to make things move more smoothly and quickly.  This is a pretty interesting thing if you like to people watch.

 

I saw a man today drinking coffee out of a Disney mug.  I know it was Disney because it had Cinderella on it.  

 

I saw really clean cars (on the inside, I mean).

 

I saw cars like mine that weren't really clean.

 

I will say this:  when school is in and I'm using the car line to drop off/pick up Monkey, I tend to clean out my car more often.  I can't have total strangers looking at the mess in my car!  I mean, really!  What would they think?

 

I hear lots of "I love you"'s and "have a good day"'s and occasionally "make good choices."  Which leads me to something I heard at church on Sunday.  Last week, we had a visiting pastor who was also a master storyteller; Rev. Charles Maynard.  Let me digress for a minute.  Storytelling is a lost art.  We, as a society, are so driven to get it done and done fast, we don't take the time to listen to or even tell a good story.  He told a great story about a magic life-saving stick on Sunday.  If our church posts a podcast of it, I'll link to it later, somehow.

 

OK, back on point.  He opened with the statement that the most important things we say, we say with our hands on the door.  As we're leaving.  Think about it.  What do you say to a loved one as you're leaving the house or getting off the phone?  What final message do you want them to get?  He said that often, when he's visiting people, the most important things they have to say to him as a pastor/friend come after he says something like "I need to be going soon..." 

  

With our children, the thing that comes to mind most often and easiest is "I love you."  I want them to know I love them.  But what about when sending them to school?  "Make good choices," "Be a good boy/girl," "Have a good day" - those all come to mind and I heard varying degrees of all those, and more.  But a few parents didn't say anything.  Nothing.  Nothing to bid their child a good day.  Maybe they said it before I opened the door.  I'd like to think that's the case instead of the alternative - telling them nothing.

 

But it doesn't just apply to the drop-off line.  What about at home or at work?  Is someone you know leaving to fight in Iraq or heading off to college?  What about a close friend who is moving away?  Or are you moving away?

  

What do you say when your hand is on the door?