Inspiration from Kids-What's Your Favorite Stories?

[Andrew Joiner]

I'm 64 and a little sad about summer being over, but I only mention it to the adults I'm close to. My youngest granddaughter is 6. She says she loves every season. We went on a walk yesterday and although it was warm she put heavy rubber boots on because she want's to look for puddles to jump in. I said "the suns been out for awhile so we may not find any puddles" she said " I don't care, I love puddles".

We walked for blocks on dry sidewalks. Then, in an alley, 2 puddles. You should have seen the look on her face! As I watched her jump and splash I shouted "PUDDLES'' and forgot I was sad that summer is over.

I love her attitude. Putting on boots and looking for puddles is fun whether you find them or not! She truly lives in the moment.

What's your inspiring stories about the kids in your life?

[Steve Peterson]

I love the way everything is an adventure to a 6 year old. The adults will be complaining about the rain while the kids will be jumping in the puddles. You have to keep an eye on them because they will be out there until their lips turn blue and won't notice that they are cold.

My adventure from when I was a kid, not 6 but maybe 18 or 19. I lived in the foothills where it was rare to get more than a dusting of snow. One spring we got 6" of snow followed by rain. The oak trees had already put out their leaves in the spring, so they collected lots of snow. Many trees fell from the weight.

We had a mile of dirt road that was full of downed trees. Nobody was going to drive anywhere for a day or two until the trees were cleared. I decided to just go for a walk. I was out for a couple of hours and even waded through a 2' deep stream. Everything was so calm and eerily quiet. Normally there is wind noise, except when the tree leaves are covered in snow. I had the best time walking around that day. It took about 20 minutes for me to change out of my wet clothes when I got home. My fingers were so cold that I couldn't unbutton my shirt. All I remember was how wonderful that day was.

Steve

[Rick Potter]

We have a 5 generation picture showing my grandson Brandon (now 24) as an infant, in the arms of Granny (his great grandma) who was 100, flanked by Mimi (late 70's), Nana (my wife late 40's), and his mom (our daughter), along with a lot of family members. Granny was about 101 when she died, so Brandon should have no memory of her, except for walking by that picture everyday.

When he was four or five, we went camping with his family. Brandon woke up and told his dad he dreamed about being with Granny, and told him all about it. Daddy asked him 'What did Granny look like?. He answered 'How should I know, I had my eyes shut.'.

Memories.


EDIT: The last 20 years or so of her life, Granny bounced around, staying with various family members for a few months, then moving to the next, in a regular circuit. It was only in the last few years that she had to go in a rest home. Once, when I visited, I was wearing a red plaid flannel shirt. As soon as I walked into the room she started screaming "The redcoats are here". I had to leave, so they could calm her down.

She was also the one person I knew who knew several people who had fought in the Civil War.