A group of us gathered at church yesterday to pack toiletry kits for kids. That’s a whole story in and of itself. If you’re looking for places to help change kids’ lives, read this, and find something you want to do. Policy work is important, but the local work makes a difference and really makes community.

But there we were, this small band of volunteers. One woman had worked in a factory, she set up our line. There were 500 bags to be filled. One woman had brought her five year old. Now Cordelia makes me laugh out loud, on almost any occasion. She has enthusiasm.

One of the other other moms, whose daughter was in school, found a job for Cordelia. As we walked by filling our bags, she would hand us a toothbrush. After a while, she realized she was standing by the toothpaste, and she set out boxes of toothpaste, put a brush on the box and handed us both. More work for her, less for us. It was a great solve and it drove home that our kidlets can make a difference if we’ll just give them the option.

It was a delight for the line engineering improvement, a delight to have an empowered five year old and she laughed and giggled and made us all have a good time. She worked for the same 2 hours we all worked. Blessed are the Peacemakers and those who are willing to see the Peacemaking everyone can do.

Sometimes it’s easy to believe that we’re the only ones who can get a job done. uh… right… that’s wrong. So here’s to the 5 year olds and letting them take their place in the work that needs to be done. They might make improvements in the work flow, and they’ll definitely make you giggle.  And you might just get a Peacemaker in training. Why not let them step up. Peacemakers who giggle? That’s priceless.