Of Buses and Eternity

Hazel, our five-year-old granddaughter, approached me during our family's Thanksgiving gathering. The look in her eyes indicated she had some pretty big news to share. I was intrigued. You never know what might be happening with the kindergarten crowd.

"Hubba," she said, her face lighting up. "I rode on a school bus!"

This was big news. Hazel has been fascinated with school buses since her toddler years.

"Wow, Hazel! That's awesome!" I replied. "Did you go on a field trip?"

"Uh, huh," she answered, nodding enthusiastically. "It was sooo fun!"

"That's great. I know you enjoyed it."

"But there's something I need to tell you," she said, her tone turning more serious.

"OK, what's that?"

"The school bus we rode on," she started, rather dramatically. "Well, it was a Thomas bus."

"No! Not a Thomas! Tell me you didn't ride on a Thomas!"

"I did!" she exclaimed. "But it was the only one they had."

I shook my head in dismay, muttering that I couldn't believe she'd ride a Thomas school bus.

When I told her daddy, our youngest son Cole, about that little exchange, he chuckled and said, "Well, let me tell you about her brother."

In an earlier blog, I wrote about Alden and his tractor. The boy loves tractors, but it doesn't stop there. He also loves cars, trucks, heavy equipment, fire trucks and police cruisers, 18-wheelers, motorcycles, you name it.

According to Cole, at two and half years old, Alden already takes special notice of school buses, and he enjoys pointing them out to his family. Upon seeing one, however, he doesn't yell out, "School bus!" as one might expect. Instead, he proclaims, "Blue Bird!!!"

Hazel doesn't want to ride on a Thomas bus, and Alden shouts "Blue Bird!" whenever he sees a bus of any type. What gives?

Regina and I live in Fort Valley, Georgia, which happens to be the home of the Blue Bird Bus Corporation started by Mr. A.L. Luce in Fort Valley in 1927. In the 98 years since its founding, Blue Bird has grown to become one of the world's leading manufacturers of school buses. Almost every day, I see one or more out on the street being test driven after rolling off the assembly line. I've come to love those big yellow jokers and, since Blue Bird is such a big part of our community, I've done my best to share that love with my grandchildren.

In other words, I've brainwashed the little rascals. And I've done a right good job of it, wouldn't you say? It's not everybody who has a grandchild confessing the sin of riding on the wrong type of bus. Or, who has an even younger one thinking that Blue Bird is the only brand on the road.

They know that Blue Bird is the best way to get to school. Now, we just have to make sure they know that Jesus is the only way to get to heaven. That's way more important. It's eternal.