The other night I heard angry cry-protests coming from near my bedroom. “What’s going on?” I called (wearily).
“The kids won’t let me play unless I’m a DOG KIDNAPPER!” screamed Mette.
Kids.
That’s just the very sort of unfair thing they’d do. Dog kidnapper. Insulting. (On the other hand ... surely somebody must be the dog kidnapper? Surely?)
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Anders, dawdling before bed, came into my room last night and complained: “There are no Thornton Burgess books at the library. So you can only buy them off Amazon.”
“Have you checked the library?” I asked (knowing we can request them from any of the five libraries in our county). “Like the entire county library? Or just our little local one?”
He looked startled. “I haven’t checked anywhere at all! Can I check somewhere now?”
Goofy kid.
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Jesse took first in the energy category in the district science fair the other day. It was fairly late at night when we found out the news and told the other kids.
“I feel like I need to think of some way for us to celebrate!” I said.
“OK!” Anders eagerly agreed. “How long will it take you to think?”
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Recently, hearing Starling rummaging about in our kitchen pantry, Goldie called, “Starling? What are you doing?”
“Just making a mess,” she replied in her halting little way.
I’m still delighted by even the gibberish she utters. I think there is nothing more charming than any—even single—word that comes from her mouth. So a full sentence of admission like this one set my heart spinning like a top. It’s lucky I have a husband and nine other fully-appreciative kids (and a blog) I can repeat stories like this to.
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The other day I came to these words in second Nephi: “... for there is a God, and he hath created all things ...”. Suddenly I recalled hearing a young missionary share those same words several months ago. “Christ isn’t only the creator of physical things,” he’d commented. “He’s also the creator of opportunities.”
Of course I know that.
Of course He is.
Still, it felt then, and even more so now, like a closed box opening — all full of hopeful glimpses of things yet to come. (Though I use the word “glimpses” loosely. They’re like ... pinpricks of light on an otherwise dark map ahead. I don’t glimpse what they are exactly—though there’s a feeling about some—but I glimpse that they are there; connected in marvelous ways to all sorts of relationships and experiences that the Lord has already “created” in my life. It’s exciting. And it increases my trust in Him significantly.
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As I finish typing this I can hear Mette and Hans in the kitchen. They are playing with kinetic sand, and every sentence they speak is coming out sung to the toon of “The Lonely Goatherd”.
2 comments:
Thornton Burgess! I have not thought of that author/illustrator in decades! Thornton spoiled me for other animal tales--though I enjoyed Beatrix Potter, I thought Burgess's animals were more fun. Kind of like how Looney Toons are more fun (to me) than Disney. Paddy Beaver is the only character name I remember, but I must have read that Mother West Wind book we had a squillion times. I submit that you should forgo the libraries and buy the complete works on Amazon . . . because that might be what I am about to do.
I love the post title--of all the fun little snippets you shared, "Dog Kidnapper" is the most perfect to lead the charge.
Your kids are sweet. You are good at capturing moments in word and photo.
They are just tremendous, tremendous souls! And the stories made my day. Why again am I not your next door neighbor?
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