Happy Birthday, Dear Jessica!

Jessica's birthday was on Thursday. She was a good sport and went to WalMart and got a box of Jello cheesecake (her fav!), and I made it while she went to pick up some to-go lunch at The Family Tree, along with one of their BIG scones & extra honey butter. (All my treat, of course.) We ate lunch, played chess, and hung out until Steve got home. Then we sang "Happy Birthday" and had the cheesecake. After that, Steve and Jessica played chess while I went to take some Taco Bell food to Amber & see Brynley. Jessica is bummed that Brynley couldn't wait 2 more days to be born on Jessica's birthday. :) How I love this dear daughter of mine! She brings fun, and silliness, and a touch of easy-goingness to our family, and I am so grateful she is one of mine. ♥ ♥ Melody

♥ing Fiction & Imagination from a young age

When Josh was a little boy, he was too restless to watch a movie... except for Jungle Book.

Grandma D. bought us a VHS video of Jungle Book because we were broke and couldn't afford it - it was a lot more expensive than the other Disney movies back in '92 that were $12 or $14 bucks - it was $18. Thank heavens for Grandma D.! That video gave me some time to take care of things without having a 3 years old running around the house undoing my work as soon as I got it done.

One day, Josh told me that he needed a screwdriver. When I asked why, he said, "Because I need to go inside the tv and play with Baloo!" I think Baloo was his first fictional friend. And, I for one, totally understand the importance of fictional friends -

I don't know what life would be without Anne of Green Gables; Aslan the lion; Atticus, Scout, or Jem; Gilligan, Skipper, and MaryAnn; Belle, Maurice, and Beast; Mercedes Thompson and the werewolves; Alex Craft, Death, and the Faerie world; Odd Thomas, Stormy, and Little Ozzie; Meredith, Cristina, Derek, Alex, Bailey, and Chief Webber; Liv Moore or Ravi.

Fictional life is as important as real life; it takes us on travels to new places - many that wouldn't exist without imagination; we meet new people; we see things from another perspective; we gain empathy.

The importance of it is something so simple that even a three year old understands.
♥ Melody

The Wind, by Aesop, and my brief thoughts afterward

Æsop. (Sixth century B.C.) Fables.
The Harvard Classics. 1909–14.

The Wind and the Sun

THE WIND and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger. Suddenly they saw a traveller coming down the road, and the Sun said: “I see a way to decide our dispute. Whichever of us can cause that traveller to take off his cloak shall be regarded as the stronger You begin.” So the Sun retired behind a cloud, and the Wind began to blow as hard as it could upon the traveller. But the harder he blew the more closely did the traveller wrap his cloak round him, till at last the Wind had to give up in despair. Then the Sun came out and shone in all his glory upon the traveller, who soon found it too hot to walk with his cloak on.
“KINDNESS EFFECTS MORE THAN SEVERITY.”
(from Bartleby.com)

I behave as the wind far more often than the sun. The wind thinks it can control; the sun knows it can only influence.
♥ Melody