The Pep Rally (aka The Pepper Alley)

 "What's a pepper alley?" ("A pep rally's where we cheer for our team."}

"Are they going to throw things?" ("No, we can't have the Homecoming Parade this year.")

"I've been to a pep rally before. It's LOUD."

I'm not sure how much the early childhood kids understood about homecoming events or pep rallies, but in time they'll come to anticipate and appreciate their school's traditions. This year looked a little different...the pep rally was on the football field instead of the gym. Since we were blessed with such beautiful weather today, the outdoor pep rally had some advantages. For example, we could actually hear and understand the announcements.

The band played, the Silver Steppers danced, the flag team performed, and the cheerleaders cheered. High School teachers announced winners of class competitions. The football team marched on the field, and the homecoming court was presented. I heard the names of a few of my former students---bright, kind-hearted kids I'd taught in kindergarten or first grade.

The tradition that leaves me a little teary-eyed every year is the Mother-Son Dance, where the senior football players dance with their mothers, and the Father-Daughter Dance, where the senior cheerleaders dance with their fathers. Having raised a couple of sons, I remember the mixed blessing of realizing your child is on the verge of adulthood---soon to graduate go off to college. I know in their hearts those parents are experiencing a potpourri of emotions: love, pride, apprehension, all mixed with a smidgeon of mourning for the childhood that's ending. 

Time goes by quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the kids who watched on the sidelines today will be taking their place on the field tomorrow. 

Parenting little children is an exhausting, demanding task, but it's also the most rewarding job you'll ever have, and it doesn't last long. So love them while they're little, and lead them to Jesus early.

"Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress,
    and for their children it will be a refuge." Proverbs 14:26 (NIV)