From The Storyteller

August 14, 2017, Stars

Several years ago Elaine and I took a group of kids from Dallas to North Padre Island on the Gulf of Mexico. Our band consisted of 18 inner city kids that had never been out of Dallas, and two of their parents. The trip required a nine hour drive with two loaded 9 passenger vans and a full car. A friend had a beach house on the island and he let us use it free for three days and two nights. It slept all 22, if you count the 4 volunteers who didn’t mind a spot on the floor.

I learned several important things on this trip that are still with me.  Lesson one – When traveling with a car load of kids plan your first stop about 45 minutes into the drive. It’s potty break for everyone, then break out the salty chips, pretzels and small water bottles. With that combination there is a good chance you will only need one more stop. Failing to plan ahead and there will be nine stops in nine hours.

Lesson two – Dallas city kids have never seen stars. The first night, after an ocean swim and crab hunting, we invited them to lie on the deck and look into the night sky. Back then satellites were a big deal and we figured they would be interested in trying to find one moving across the sky. We were so wrong. The kids were literally star struck by the Milky Way and the hundreds of thousands of stars. I witnessed city kids with short attentions spans, spending two solid hours in total silence.

Lesson three – If a city kid catches an edible crab, no matter how small, he will eat it.

Moral – Creation can touch tough inner city kids in ways we would never expect.