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| 8" x 10" reserved for p. senter |
i've been thinking about children a lot lately. i love them. i can be having a humdrum day and some kid will walk in the store and make my day. i love their language, their inhibition, their energy, and their imagination. i love to play, they draw the child right out of me. many of my friends have kids, or are having kids, and i covet my special position as their "uncle jessie".
in our store lies a treasure chest filled with toys that my mom collected, one by one. it is every child's delight to discover that chest and dig through to find the one special toy that they will take home with them. it's my heart's delight too, to hear the sound effects of one little plastic creature or another soaring through the sky or engaging in battle on the worn wood floors of the lucky dumpster. it wasn't until i put that treasure chest out with a sign reading KIDS ONLY that i realized why mom collected those toys: she wanted to be everyone's favorite auntie. and i do too.
many people have asked me if i'm going to have kids. my default answer has always been no. looking at today's world through adult eyes, i see a hostile environment in a swift downward spiral. with pollution and disease and environmental exploitation and overpopulation at an all time high, it's easy to say no: my conscience wouldn't allow me to bring such a beautiful, gentle and innocent creature into such a cruel world. but looking at my friends, and their babies, and the hope and life and optimism and fun and energy that each child brings to my life and the lives around it, i must say, lately it's becoming more of a tossup.
it seems that every great situation in life can be met with a hearty amount of skepticism. and cynicism. lord knows i apply a heaping helping of both to everything i do. but as i sit here typing with a naked and fresh from the bath little boy in my lap...i can tell you with all my harsh karie jane behavior aside, it is truly magic. beyond comprehension. we are drinking out of mason jars, eating weird crackers, two peas in a pod.
ReplyDeleteyou are our favorite uncle. and you would make an incredible mama.
i am so honored to know a brave soul such as yourself, who does the hard work so gracefully. it gives me courage.
ReplyDeleteDear Jess, Please breed. I will borrow your munchkin any time you need a break. :-)
ReplyDeleteDear KJ, love that image of you two. Lucky little boy! Your love is as fierce as your white shoes!
Oh PS LOVE this one, the chain around the tire, juxtaposed with the sparkle on the handlebars. So good.
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