Gold Medal for Candyland Winner

The Olympics and all the excitement of winning medals reminded me of an Evangel Home "gold medal" from the past.  Only it wasn't for skiing or skating; it was for winning a Candyland game.

Last year a woman and her two children came to our door. They came in and waited on the sofa in the living room to see if they would be able to stay. I remember the woman looking dazed after moving from place to place for months; the 4-year-old autistic boy couldn't sit still; and the 10-year-old girl was sobbing in a way that broke each of our hearts. As most oldest kids in this situation, she had become the parent of the family and was carrying the weight of their world on her little shoulders.

Children always do well here, and these two were no exception. They soon adjusted to the loving support and regular routine that surrounded and "boundaried" them. The little girl's name is Justice. She is a good student, and even with her mom's many moves, Justice took her school lessons seriously. Perhaps because of the instability in her home life, school was one of her lifelines.

On one particular Friday, Justice was sitting at the dining room table just outside of my door. She was  camped out there so that I would see her when I came back to the office. Late Friday is a good time for me to finish the odds and ends left over from the week, and my plan was to finish those loose ends that seemed to tangle my desk in knots.

Justice was perched in typical kid pose: knees on the chair and elbows on the table, but she sprung straight up and said, "May I challenge you to a game of Candyland?"

"No honey. I have lots of work to do right now," I said and walked into my office.

Deadlines loomed. Important plans, projects, and papers waited to be finished but suddenly nothing seemed more important than that little girl and Candyland. So I marched back to the dining room and said, "I accept your challenge."

"You will?" She laughed, ran off to get the game and set up the board. She was even more excited when she beat me -- a victory she talked about all weekend. By Monday morning, it seemed the entire block knew about her victory. She was the champion, and she had defeated the challenger fair and square -- not once but twice.

We each have Candyland opportunities everyday. Blessings come when we accept the challenge to play the game. We can each be part of the training process for another Candyland champ.

Let the games begin!