=05 THE BROKEN HEART
As the door of the Beginner's Sunday School Class was closed, Miss Prainor spoke to her class. “I know you all want to know what happened to the gum, suckers, and the 'grass man', as you call him. Well, the pile of grass and goodie bag disappeared by Wednesday morning. But then something strange happened. When I went to put some more suckers under the pile Thursday, I found this.” She held up Knee Miah's red heart and a broken piece of glass was stuck to it.
The glass wasn't dangerous or anything, but was definitely connected to the heart. She layed it on a sunny window sill so that everyone could clearly see. The teacher asked her class of 12 beginners a question she didn't even have an answer to. “Class what does it mean? Is the Grass-man, or girl, giving us a message? Is there something we are supposed to learn?”
The children were all asking each other if they knew the answer. Young Tommy didn't usually speak up in class. But he asked the class, “Maybe we're supposed to connect the broken glass with the heart and think of a 'broken heart'.” The whole class went silent as a graveyard. After everyone heard the 'broken heart' idea, all you could hear was the wind blowing past the windows. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the 'broken heart' sitting on the window sill.
After a few quiet moments, Miss Prainor asked one of the children to open the class with prayer. Tommy just began, “Jesus – help teacher explain to us about the grassy heart and the broken heart. I love you. Men. I mean Amen.”
Tommy's prayer for Miss Prainor pierced her heart so deeply, she had to wipe her eyes and nose twice. It took extra moments getting a breath mint from her purse to calm her spirit and focus on her prepared lesson. She felt so little; so inadequate to fulfill Tommy's prayer. She wanted a miracle at that moment to transform her into one of the beginners and be able to sit among them and learn more from them. She questioned herself – why do grownups make Christian living and love so complicated? These beginners already understand what to do and how to do it; how to make Jesus smile.
