THE GIGANTIC, BIG, 

FIRST GRADE, BIRTHDAY PARTY

Once upon a time - well not that long ago a time - the first grade teacher - in a certain school - was going to celebrate her 50^th Birthday Party - in her first grade classroom. In her classroom. Imagine that!”

And the kids couldn’t imagine how old 50 years old was. “That is old!”, they said. “Old.”

They tried with their hands. How many fingers would you put up if someone asked Mrs. Teresa Dosomuch - yes that was her real name - if they asked her, “How old are you Mrs. Dosomuch?”

Would she go, “Five [Gesture], Five [Gesture], Five [Gesture], Five [Gesture], Five [Gesture], Five [Gesture], Five [Gesture], Five [Gesture], Five [Gesture], Five [Gesture]? I am 50 years old. Wow!”

She tried that and the kids were either amazed or confused - depending on their math skills. That many fives, that many fingers, that’s old.

The parents of the First Graders all made cupcakes - cupcakes of all kinds of frosting colors on top - with all kinds of cake mix - brown, stripped and white.

The kids couldn’t take their eyes off all  the cupcakes sitting on a fold up table off to the said  as they sang, “Happy Birthday Mrs. Dosomuch!”

The chairs in the First Grade classroom - for the party were arranged differently that day - in a circle - with Mrs. Dosomuch’s bigger swivel chair up in the front of the classroom in the center.

Then something happened that almost ruined the party. It’s always something! Isn’t it?

Yep sometimes bad things happen - even to kids in the First Grade - even by kids in the First Grade.

It started with two boys. One’s name was John and the other was James. They had a plan. They raised their hands and said, “Mrs. Dosomuch can we sit next to you - one on your right and one on your left.”

When the other kids heard this - they got angry. They got jealous. They got jumpy - and this was even before they got the sugar in all those cup cakes.

“Uh oh,” Mrs. Dosomuch thought. “What do I do now? If I put one on my right and one on my left - these other 21 kids will be jealous - very jealous.”

What to do?  She put up her hands to stop all the hands that were up. She put her finger to her lip as the signal for all to quiet down. She said a prayer inside her mind to God: “Help!”

She remembered this used to happen when she was a kid and grandpa Ed came to Thanksgiving Dinner at their home. He had a great belly and a great white beard - and looked like Santa Claus - and all the kids - including Teresa - would want to sit next to Grandpa Ed for Thanksgiving dinner.

Impossible - because only two could do that: one on his right and one on his left.

The solution was Grandpa Ed would sit at the kids table and after every ten minutes a timer bell  would go off and he would move his seat next to two others - starting with the oldest.

Mrs. Teresa Dosomuch smiled.

Mrs. Teresa Dosomuch came up with a plan. She said to herself, “I’m not that old.”

“Surprise” she said to James and John and the rest of her First Graders, “I’m not going to sit down. I’m going to serve you.”

So she pulled her chair out of the circle - completely surprising the whole class. Next she walked over to the cupcakes - which were on silver trays. 

Next she called James and John over to her and said, “James and John, it’s more important to serve than to be served, so you’re going to help me.”

She handed each of them a tray and with juice in one hand and plastic cups in her other hand, she walked around and served juice to each kid - telling James and John, “Show the kids the cupcakes. Give them their choice.”

So they walked around the circle of chairs and served all the kids.

And what a party. Each kid ate at least 3 cupcakes - each.

Then surprise! Just at the end of the party in that First Grade classroom, the principal and all the teachers in the school came to the First Grade door and opened it and said, “Happy Birthday to Mrs. Do So much.

Then they blindfolded her and led her and her whole class - all 24 of them - to a big hall - in the school. It was filled with the whole school - filled with kids - all of whom loved and missed Mrs. Dosomuch - whom they all had in the first grade. They were silent.

The principal lead the blindfolded Mrs. Dosomuch into the center of the hall - and sat her in a chair. All the kids were standing there surrounding the chair - but they were told to be totally quiet - SILENT. Then they took off her blindfold and she saw all the kids - and all the teachers - and lots of parents - and they all sang as they brought in this gigantic round chocolate covered birthday cake - her favorite - with 50 blazing candles - as everyone sang Happy Birthday to her. Amen.

OOOOOOOOOO

This is a story I wrote last night for this 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time B.