The Second Turn on the Swing

Mia loved the swing under the apple tree. She could pump her legs until she saw over the garden wall. When her cousin Beth came to visit, Mia promised they would take turns.

Mia went first. She counted twenty swings, then decided that a few small ones should not count. Beth waited near the tree with her hands in her coat pockets. Mia counted again, starting from ten instead of twenty.

From the top of her next swing, Mia saw Beth picking at a loose thread. Her cousin had stopped smiling. Mia remembered how long it had felt when she waited for a turn at the playground the week before.

She slowed the swing with her feet and stepped away. She told Beth she had taken too long. Beth climbed onto the seat, and Mia gave her a gentle push. Together they chose a fair number of swings before the next change.

While she waited, Mia found a fallen apple for the compost bucket. Then she watched Beth try to pump her own legs. When Beth needed help, Mia showed her how to lean back and forward without letting go of the ropes.

By the end of the afternoon, both girls had plenty of turns. Thinking about Beth had not spoiled Mia's visit. It had helped them enjoy it together. God's Word teaches us to notice other people's needs. Keeping a promise about a turn is one small way to let that care become an action.