t h e m a y f i l e s is foremost a family blog, chronicling everyday life. Life including natural, healthy eating (with recipes thrown in at random), home educating (with ideas popping up sporadically), an attempt to homestead on .2 acres (with very meager yields), raising 3 of 4 children with a rare genetic disorder, and lots of highly personal family triumphs and failures. You may also find an eclectic array of musings on politics, exercise, sewing, emergency preparedness, backyard chickens, and religion. This blog isn't a campaign to glorify anyone or anything. Just simply a record.

10.26.2008

Rustling Leaves of Days Past and Present

It was one of those perfect Fall days. Walking home from church our neighbors lawn proved too great of temptation for Ellery and Pip and their best friends Brodine and Jeddy. MaryAnn brought a rake out as she noticed the children playing. Of course the kids greedily grabbed the rake to amass a huge pile.
Aren't they helpful? Look closely and you'll notice a sly Brodine, a pensive Ellery, and a twinkling Jeddy. Just moments before this...
Their true colors surface. Did MaryAnn really think the leaves would actually stay in a pile?
Who among us can look at these pictures without them evoking from our own childhood the smell of freshly fallen leaves which we couldn't help taking in as our faces pressed into the pile, the scratch against our skin of the broken leaves, and the sounds of our siblings and friends squealing and laughing...
I love that my girls have Jeddy and Brodine. For Charlotte and me, it was Joe and Clayton. Our bosom buddies across the street. We dug our fingers in the sand box until our nails never came clean, swung in the ancient pear tree, tried our darnedest to peak into the the decrepit, off limits, bat-filled barn, sunk up to our knees in the rich, black Iowa mud of my Dad's garden, huddled in our garage to wait out the torrents of rain, screaming and clutching each other at each crash of thunder. . .
I love the warmth I feel inside as an observer this time... as the cycle repeats itself for my own children.

My dear friend Julynn, who brings out the best in me. She is a spiritual giant. I can't think of a better family to share in my children's time and laughter.

1 comment:

Brittney said...

Where did all these posts come from??? I've really been out of it lately. I love all the pictures and your insights. =) Talk to you soon!