One of the twins was missing for a while the other day.
Not alarmingly so, but gone for long enough that I thought to go and
look for him. Striding around the garage,
I saw him stretched tall on his tippy-toes at the corner of the back fence
where the neighbor’s mulberry bush reaches over.
That bush drops berries into our yard, like
an old woman passing out candy to children, “Here you go
dear. No, no, take more than that. Do you have a pocket? Here, let me put some in there.”
This is my
shoeless boy, feet stained purple, and I left him there in his revere without
letting him know that I knew where he was, because sometimes, I believe,
children need to feel that they are off on their own in the world, wild,
dangerous and free.
Later, while
cooking dinner, I glanced out the kitchen window to see him squatting in the
driveway, washing his little paws in a puddle.
Splashing his hands back and forth quickly, he then stood and turned,
satisfied.
That
boy. With the wide world his home, he
will never be lost.
This post is linked with Five Minute Friday.
Aww love this– such a sweet precious story!! So glad we were neighbors today!!
Thanks so much, Jennifer, FMF is good for me heart 🙂
Kelly,
What a lovely story! I love your last line: "With the wide world his home, he will never be lost." – what a snap shot of your love for him and his love for life! I too am glad we are FMF neighbors today!
Thank you. I do love that boy and I'm so thankful for this yard that gives him room enough to get "lost" even just for awhile.
oh sweet 'shoeless boy, feet stained purple.'
you make me smile. and pause a bit to remember what that season was like …
thanks, Kelly for this gift you've shared!
I too smile when I read this sweet story. My boy is 8 now. I used to let him get lost in the yard. Now I'm trying to let him "get lost" a bit more…bike rides alone around the block, walking home from the pool (while I secretly drive on side streets), etc. I guess this season never ends for us moms!