While Nancy appreciates the beauty and wonder of nature, her highest form of marveling is reserved for children. Nancy teaches the two-year-old class at our Preschool. She works with her good friend and church member, Susan Brown. Nancy spent her career working with children. She was a speech and language pathologist with Chesterfield County for 30 plus years. She worked in early intervention, helping children with communication and feeding disorders. She said, “Once I found my love of children and babies, I never got up off the floor.”
After Nancy retired, she discovered that she missed the children terribly. She missed their laughter, smiles, and energy. She learned about an opening in our Preschool and we’re blessed to have her on staff. She and Susan make a wonderful team and they truly love the children they teach. Nancy says, “Our job is to let them know they are loved and loved by others outside their immediate family and that learning is fun. That’s our focus.”
The love of their children really manifested itself during Covid-19. Once Preschool closed Nancy and Susan began teaching over Zoom. On Tuesdays they read books, sang songs and had more traditional learning activities. She said she was surprised by how much the children would actually play with each other over Zoom. They’d show each other a picture they colored or something they made with blocks. On Thursdays, she read them a bedtime story. At the end of each Zoom session Nancy would blow the children a kiss and she’d form the words “I love you” in sign language.
Several parents have sent Nancy pictures of their children holding their hands to form the words, “I love you.” In fact, all of the children in the two-year-old class know how to say “I love you” in sign language. The pictures that the parents sent are now in Nancy’s collection of “marvels.” Nancy says, “I love their curiosity. Children are amazed and excited by the little things in life and I’ve come to learn that the little things are what’s important. Often the big things go away, but the little things bring continual happiness. I’m seeing the world through the eyes of a child and that excites me. It’s the little things that excite me.”
I suspect we all could use a happy day. Perhaps a good place to start is by going marveling. Take some time, go for a walk, and pay attention to the beauty of God’s creation. You’ll find God’s fingerprints everywhere. You’ll see them in flowers, trees, mountains, but they’re most noticeable in the face of child. May God help each one of us to recapture that childlike sense of awe, wonder and amazement. I want to thank Nancy, Susan and the rest of our Preschool staff for their time, dedication and the love they share with their students. May God bless them. May God bless each one of you and may God bless Bethel Baptist Church.
With much love and grace,

