Yesterday was Father's Day and because of our friend's dogs, I found myself sitting in the foyer during our first meeting. It's a long story. I didn't mind sitting outside the congregation. I mean, I wasn't sitting with my family, which was a bit of a bummer, but I did get to see things I usually never see.
Our family arrives to church early, and we've done so for years. Even when they change the times of our meetings (this happens because several congregations share the same building so we rotate our times each year), we arrive early. If our church begins at 9am, 11am, or 1pm, it doesn't matter--we're usually between 20-30 minutes early. We mostly arrive early we we can sit in the same place each Sunday. I know it's a bit childish, but it was because of a child we began sitting there in the first place.
Since we're usually sitting in our usual spot, we don't see the things I saw yesterday. We don't see the families that arrive late and usually spend the first meeting in the foyer. Some arrive only a few minutes late. Others take a little longer to get everyone ready for church. Our kids are older so we no longer have to get them ready ourselves, which is a major help in getting to church on time.
I watched as three little kids were banging on the door as if demanding to be released from some type of prison. I watched as kids made friendships and jumped around. I watched as parents "shushed" their children in an attempt to maintain some sort of reverence in the building. Sometimes they were successful.
Because it was Father's Day it's tradition for all the children to go to the front of the chapel and sing a few songs to fathers and grandfathers. It's cute. Next Father's Day I won't have any children participating stopping a ten-year tradition for me. All the parents in the foyer craned their necks to get a good look at their little ones.
Yes, just moving from one space to another, you can see a lot of interesting things.
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