September 27 – “Greta the Ghost”

Well, yesterday was Monday again.  Last one in September of 2016, in fact.  Come Saturday we will officially be in October.  What does that mean here on a sandbar, barrier island off the coast of Texas?  One day closer to the end of hurricane season.  And of course there is a potential storm building and heading toward the Gulf as we speak.  There is also, however, a cold front of sorts barreling down on us from the North.  The cold front is good news on two fronts.  A bit of relief from our hot, muggy summer, for one.  Lows are supposed to be in the 60’s by the weekend.  Better search for our winter jackets.  Or at least a sweatshirt.  That is some cold weather for us Islanders.  The other good thing is that it tends to push the hurricanes harmlessly out into the Atlantic.  In these last days before our national election … I vote for that.

Nathan and April were both working yesterday, so we got to pick up Cailyn from school.  When we asked what she did that day, she had an interesting answer.  “We did that CPA thing in math.  We do it every six weeks.”  OK.  Umm.  “CPA thing”?  I know she’s in the gifted and talented class, but a CPA in  elementary school?  Every six weeks?  I’m impressed. 

She and I usually do a quick trip to the playground after school so she can just run and play for a while.  As we walked to the swings she shared another happening of the day that wasn’t so impressive.  Seems there were some stories going around about two ghosts haunting the school.  One, she explained was named Greta.  “She’s who the school was named after and some people hear her walking around the school.”  Thankfully I had an answer for that one.  As matter-of-factly as I could muster, I explained, “Greta can’t be a ghost here.  It’s impossible.”  She stopped dead in her tracks, looked at me, and asked, “She can’t?  Why?”  “Well,” I said, “That’s because Miss Greta was MeeMaw’s teacher when MeeMaw was a little girl.”  I know.  The logic is virtually non-existent, but the distraction was perfect.  She wanted to know what school, and how old was MeeMaw at the time.  Suddenly Greta the Ghost just wasn’t so mysterious anymore.  She was just another teacher, like the one she saw every day.  After pondering it for a moment or two, she threw some “logic” back at me, “You can ask MeeMaw about her when you get there.  And then I’ll ask you when I get there.”  Where is “there,” you might ask?  Well, she and I talk a lot about heaven.  The assumption is always that I’ll get there first.  See?  Makes perfect sense.

Now after we got home, and unbeknownst to Cailyn, I received a text from her Dad.  Her teacher had sent out a mass e-mail to all the parents of her class members telling them about the whole ghost thing, and explaining that she had done her best to quash it, because quite a few of the younger kids were getting genuinely frightened and it was quite a distraction to everyone.  She asked the parents for help in stressing to the kids to stop with the ghost talk, especially since she was going to be out and a sub would be there the next day.  I was impressed that she was staying on top of the issue. 

Now this second ghost she was not as quick to talk about.  She mentioned that this one’s name was Charlie, but I had to probe a little bit to get some more information about him.  That came later in the afternoon when we were outside playing catch and working on spelling words.  I brought it up, “So you said the kids were talking about that Greta ghost and some other ghost, too.  What was that one called?”  She was visibly frightened when we first started talking about it in those hushed, it’s kind of a secret tones.  “There’s this game, DadDad.  It’s called Charlie, Charlie.  See, Charlie’s a ghost, and the way to see if he is around is to use two pencils and if it points up, that means he’s there.”  This one was new to me, and it frankly sounded an awful lot like a pre-ouija board idea.  (Nathan looked it up online.  That’s exactly what it is).  I pressed gently, “Now that sounds kind of scary.  Did anybody get scared?”  “Lots of kids did,” she quickly answered.  “Did you?”  I wondered.  She perked up at the permission to actually say it to someone safe.  Her voice rose and she almost shouted (which is her “normal” tone of voice after school when she is playing), “Yes.  I was scared.”  She continued on and on this time about what the “game” was and how her “teacher told us to stop playing it and she was going to send an e-mail to all the parents to have them tell us to stop playing it ‘cause people were getting scared.”  Sounded to me like she got the message.  I told her that her teacher was right.  It’s never a good thing when people are really scared.  We talked a lot about her being a helper to the substitute even when it seemed like she was being mean. 

And strangely enough, our family worship Bible story last night was on the Good Samaritan.  And Cailyn, of her own accord, made the connection and application of the story to her own circumstance.  That guy helped even when the other guy hated him.  That’s like when I have a substitute.  I should help her.”  Exactly. 

1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.”

Father, would you do some Holy Spirit invading over at Cailyn’s school today?  Drive out that spirit of fear so they can concentrate on learning.  And help Cailyn with her “Good Samaritan-izing.”  Amen.