Recess

Think back to grade school. The best part of the day when you were able to escape from the constraints of the classroom and go outside to the vast concrete slab to run, and scream, and play. Ahh....

Back in the day at St Matthias School we didn't have play structures or basketball hoops. All we had was a red bouncy ball and white painted lines. Our form of entertainment during that 20 minutes of freedom, more days than not, was kick ball.

Today on a cold, dismal Wisconsin morning a group gathered back on the blacktop at St Matthias School. The participants were different than the group that plays current weekdays in their plaid jumpers. These kids moved a little slower, were a few pounds heavier, and had well earned laugh lines. Yes that's right....those kids were my old pals from grade school and we played a mean game of kickball.

As we gathered, some of the concerns were the same as 30 years ago. Like would we be the last to be picked on a team? And then there were the new concerns about keeping all body parts intact and free of injury. We kept reminding the 10 year old pitcher no bouncy rolls and to slow it down, and ran the short bases, so we wouldn't wear ourselves out.

It was so fun to see the old gang, meet their families, and share some wise cracks and memories. It was just the night before that I chaperoned a overly happy group of St Matthias 8th graders at their graduation dance. Watching those kids and seeing my old friends made me realise a few things....first of all, I am getting pretty old, and second of all, grade school is a wonderful time in life.

I am grateful for those days with friends at St Matthias, and now for the opportunity to watch my kids enjoy their childhood, and make some memories of their own...ironically on that same old playground.