Morning Song by Susan L.

  "Let's Go Fly a Kite" from Disney's Mary Poppins came through loud and clear as I did my morning chores: feed cat and fish, open the blinds, put the kettle on. It's an odd choice but I have no say in the matter. It did have me smiling and waltzing to music only I can hear. Pumpkin gave me a peculiar look. A nice way to start the day. It took the edge of wanting to drown the silly cat because he had been relentlessly pestering me to get out of bed waaay too early. I think he only wants the warm spot I vacate because he has disappeared after breakfast. Maybe I should poke his nose, see if he likes it when he's trying to sleep! Grrrr...gotta love him.
  Fluff and feathers. It feels nice to write about the mundane, to give myself a break from the angst and struggle of the past week.
  I used to babysit a neighbour's boys. The youngest was only in school part time so I'd try to find things we could do together once the farm chores were done. We had a kite hanging in the garage so one especially windy spring day I suggested we fly it. The kite was a large, rainbow diamond that looked lovely against the blue sky as it fought and tugged against its stringy tether. The little fellow got tired so he asked me to hold it for a while. As he passed the string to me, I dropped the spool. Off it bounced following the kite as it sailed away across the road free as free could be.  
  The two of us went tearing after it to try and catch it. Through a neighbour's yard, choked grass fields, marshy areas...a good kilometer before the spool got tangled up in a scrawny tree and we were able to reel in the kite. The boy was afraid I would be angry but I was laughing too hard at the situation, wet running shoes and all. I was desperately grasping for air and couldn't say a word. It had been quite a chase!
  I looked at him and said between gasps, "You and I, well, we learned a very important lesson today. You'll have to share what we learned with your mom when she picks you up."
 His four year old, big blue eyes watched me intently. This was important!
 "Never... let... go... of... the... string!"
  He caught my sense of the ridiculous and began to giggle. It was my fault the kite got away after all. We both chuckled at ourselves most of the way home, the kite wrestling in my grasp.
  His mom was barely in the door when he shared this stone tablet lesson. She looked at me strangely. She had no idea what he was talking about.
  I wonder if he remembers this bit of sage wisdom.
  "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." Jn 3:8