My British upbringing included participating in and attending the local village horticultural show. This was a community event which was put on, not with the goal of raising money but instead, to appreciate local gardeners and to perpetuate a delightful village tradition. Any money that was made was pumped back into the following year’s show.

As a teenager I helped at a side show at the village horticultural show. My brother and I were in charge of “club the rat”. There was a long piece of pipe and we pushed the toy rat down the pipe and our customers paid to try and hit the rat. We were rather devious as we showed them the speed that it would travel and then for the real “go” pushed it much faster. Those who clubbed the rat won a prize but there were few winners! We knew many of the local people helping with the side shows and they were of all different ages and came from the local villages which are small and hundreds of years old. As a child I loved to enter paintings and animals made out of vegetables in the age appropriate contests, and the anticipation of arriving at the show and wondering whether I had won a prize was tremendous! The emphasis at the Monk Sherborne horticultural show was to display locally grown flowers and vegetables but I liked the other options for children. These occasions were wonderful community events when we all participated together. The horticultural show was held in a beautiful English country garden with large lawns with many different flowers and shrubs. Of course afternoon tea and cake were served and my mother, as well as many of the other mothers and grandmothers, made cakes for this event.

When our children, Tom, James and Alice, were young we went to the horticultural show as we lived in Kent, about an hour and a half’s drive from Monk Sherborne where my family home remained. They also appreciated the little competitions and watching their grandfather washing potatoes and later being awarded the first prize. For the kids, receiving rosettes was more rewarding than the small amount of prize money as the rosettes were very visible!

What was the significance of all of this? Certainly happy memories are valuable, but I think there was much value in working together, with family members but also with the wider community. We did not have to be excellent artists or gardeners to compete, but we were encouraged to try something different at least once a year. Although the competition was very limited we also learned to lose. This was much more humaine than at school when our exam results were read aloud for everyone to hear. This was a gentler part of British life.

Life now seems more compartmentalized, at least where we live in California. At middle school the kids have a limited choice of electives. If you choose band you cannot do art, drama, or learn a foreign language. My niece and nephew, at the middle school equivalent in England, have the opportunity to do drama, art, music, a foreign language or two and sewing; all at once. Of course they also study the core academic subjects. They are prepared to have a go at many different things, while our kids are expected to be specialists. My concern is that specialists do not have the mindset that they can try anything. They tend to focus totally on one activity once they get to high school: sport or band or drama….The standard is excellent but the danger is that some grow tired of the intensity. They also do not have time to integrate with the wider community. There is no time.

I want to add a spiritual perspective too. Are we so conditioned, at least in San Diego, to be specialists that we will not risk doing something beyond our comfort zone? Are our expectations so high that we make it difficult for others to volunteer? Is the music group at church just for the very best, or do the decorations at the vacation Bible School have to be done solely by the art experts? I think that there is a real danger of excluding those who desperately need to be involved. Are we unintentionally making it impossible for many to use the gifts that God has given them? I do not mean that everyone should preach or play music, but we need to train and encourage those who seem to be showing a specific interest or aptitude, to use their gifts. It really is essential that everyone in the church is involved and that they are not put off by perfectionists. They need to help out and have a go.

What if you are not a Christian? I hope that you are not so busy with either your kids’ activities or your own particular focus that you fail to question what this life is all about. Please do not avoid talking to Christians because you do not feel that you are a specialist. Instead dare to walk into something different and ask questions. Ask a question on this blog and understand that many others have the same thoughts. Let’s make time to be a multi-age community and to broaden our perspectives. In this all or nothing society many have had absolutely no exposure to Christianity and the Bible. In the multi subject curriculum that was offered when I was at school I at least learned something about Jesus. In the States there are the Christian schools that make Jesus a speciality and the public schools where mentioning his name is controversial. In my opinion we should smudge the line of division and at least enter the debate. Jesus in Matthew 7:7 encourages us to “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Start seeking the truth, have a look at God’s Word and ask questions. You will not be disappointed!

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