Timmy was a little five year old boy that his Mom loved very much and,
being a worrier, she was concerned about him walking to school when he
started Kindergarten. She walked him to school the couple of days but
when he came home one day, he told his mother that he did not want
her walking him to school everyday. He wanted to be like the "big boys."

He protested loudly,so she had an idea of how to handle it.

She asked a neighbor, Mrs. Goodnest, if she would surreptitiously follow
her son to school, at a distance behind him that he would not likely
notice, but close enough to keep a watch on him. Mrs. Goodnest said
that since she was up early with her toddler anyway, it would be a good
way for them to get some exercise as well so she agreed.

The next school day, Mrs. Goodnest and her little girl, Marcy, set out
following behind Timmy as he walked to school with another neighbor
boy he knew. She did this for the whole week.

As the boys walked and chatted, kicking stones and twigs, the little
friend of Timmy noticed that this same lady was following them as
she seemed to do every day all week. Finally, he said to Timmy,
"Have you noticed that lady following us all week? Do you know her?"

Timmy nonchalantly replied, "Yea, I know who she is."

The little friend said, "Well who is she?"

"That's just Shirley Goodnest" Timmy said.

"Shirley Goodnest? Who is she and why is she following us?"

"Well," Timmy explained, "every night my Mom makes me say the 23rd
Psalm with my prayers 'cuz she worries about me so much. And in it,
the prayer psalm says, "Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me all
the days of my life," so I guess I'll just have to get used to it."