Dare to Take the Time Every Day

    Adele was a normal little girl with a normal Mom and Dad.  They taught her kindness and love, peace and charity.  They took her to church every Sunday and let her listen to the stories of Jesus.  At eight years old she only vaguely knew what these things meant.  She brushed her teeth like her Mom told her to, and usually shared her toys with her twin brothers.  She cried if she skinned her knees, and she laughed at the funny voices her Daddy could make. 
    The only thing that set little Adele apart from other kids her age was what she did every day during play time.  Adele never played puppets or built block towers with the other children in her 3rd grade class during her play time.  Adele always ventured away from the other children to a quiet corner where she'd sit talking to someone.  Her chatter was unceasing and her demeanor was that of pure joy.  Miss Washington, her teacher, noticed this odd habitat and at first she attributed it to an imaginary friend.  Every child has an imaginary friend at some point during their childhood.  When months passed and this behavior persisted Miss Washington became worried.
    Adele's parents were called in to talk with Miss Washington and they too were concerned.  Mostly, because Adele never did this at home.  Why wasn't she fitting in with the other kids? That just had to be it.  Why else wouldn't she play with them?  Miss Washington suggested that they get Adele involved in outside activities and they obliged.  And so began Adele's soccer playing days.
   Adele played for the Grasshoppers and she loved being the goalie.  She made friends and had sleepovers with the latest Miley Cyrus video and homemade brownies, but her strange behavior at school continued.  It followed her into the fourth grade.  Adele's parents never asked her about it because they had hopes of it just disappearing.  Finally, they seemed to realize that Adele was not going through a phase and that it was time to talk to her about removing herself from the other children during playtime.
   Adele's Mom and Dad sat her down in their cozy living room one day after soccer practice.  She was beyond a chatter box, giving them every detail of the day's practice.  When they finally got her quiet they asked her why she never played during play time.  Adele's answer was far from what either of them expected.  She told her parents that she was doing what her Sunday school teacher told her to do.  Adele's parents were confused, but Adele went on to explain that in Sunday school almost a year ago she learned that she should spend time with God every day just like she spends time with her friends.  This prompted Adele to take her play time to sit and talk with God.  She told her parents that he knew everything about her like her favorite color and what books she liked and which swing took her the highest on the playground.
     Little Adele did not have a problem instead she had a friend that no one could see but she could feel him in her heart and that's what mattered the most.