I was an angel in the school nativity play at my primary school. I remember clearly the beautiful white dress, thick opaque tights and fluffy wings. I wore bright red lipstick.
Every morning at St Andrews, an Anglican school in a Welkom, South Africa, I would respectfully kneel during prayers, before singing Morning has Broken, Our Father and when Christmas came, “Silent Night” – in German. Unlike most of the other children, however, I was Jewish.
The hymns I once sang as a child are beautiful and I can’t help but sing along even now, when I hear them. I still remember the words to each one, as I remember the story of Jesus (and the role of the angels). This is because they were taught to me in my formative years; in the years that children lay their spiritual, emotional, social and cognitive foundations.
Read the full article by Tracey Schreier at the Sydney Morning Herald.