Thanksgiving was just as joyful this year as last year and all of the preceding years. We so appreciate this opportunity to celebrate with our friends and family. The legacy of our large Thanksgiving is a true treasure and we are ever thankful each year.
After we had our early afternoon Thanksgiving dinner, everyone relocated to their favorite activities…riding one of the four wheelers on trails, children playing in the hay barn, others watching football games, others busy walking on trails lined with tall pine trees, some taking the children to watch cows being milked at a dairy farm located just down the road.
And…as usual…some of us sat in the dining room just talking. Something insignificant happened as one of the children…an “almost” three year old boy…walked in from the nearby kitchen. We thought that he was coming in to ask for a slice of pie or a piece of cake. Instead, he pulled on the arm of a family friend who was sitting at the corner of the table and began asking questions repeatedly…
“Where are my sisters? Where did they go? Are they at the barn? Do you know?”
And then we saw the tears as the little “almost” three year old boy said…
“I NEED THEM! I NEED THEM NOW!”
An insignificant series of questions from a much loved child suddenly became incredibly significant to me. I have thought about his words so much during the two weeks since Thanksgiving.
The need for someone we love, for a friend, for family, for community, for security, for the joy of close kinship and companionship is hopefully at the very core of our lives…the very center of our existence. At least, that is how I feel.
I am wondering how some children are able to discern that they need someone, that they need companionship and that they need love. I am wondering how some children have the innate confidence to ask for what they need…even in the presence of a group of overly talkative grownups. Our “almost” three year old has a loving and faithful family. His life is joyful. He laughs easily. He smiles constantly. He expresses himself at every appropriate opportunity.
Sometimes children need to become who they are supposed to be…to be given the freedom to be themselves…backed up by the guidance of the adults in their lives.
“I NEED THEM! I NEED THEM NOW!”… ONCE AGAIN…WISDOM FROM THE MOUTHS OF BABES!
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Reblogged this on Dream Big, Dream Often.
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Thank you for reblogging my post!!
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You are welcome!
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How wise you are! Really listening to children is so important. Thank you for this lovely story!
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Thank you! Taking the time to really listen to children gives us such insight into their world. His sisters were riding my golf cart with an older cousin down one of the trails at our farm. Once he found out, he quietly stood by the door and waited for them. What if we had been so engrossed in our conversation that we ignored him?
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Yes! Pay close attention and listen to children! Many thanks. 🙂
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beautiful story-I love the quote.
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Thank you, Michelle! I am so sorry that I have been absent from writing for over a month. My desktop computer has been on the “glitch” and had to go to the bad computer school. No hope for it…we had to shop for another computer! Shortly after my desktop started acting up, my laptop (just over a year old!) stopped being able to hold a charge! I took this as a sign that I needed to concentrate on physical therapy for a bit!!!!! Thank you for your sweet comment!!!
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oh dear-what a disaster. I send wishes for smooth sailing from here out-and a successful recovery for you.
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Thank you a bunch! I will eventually be fine…I just need to be a bit more patient! Guess what!! Our grandson is overdue by a week… the due date was 12/2! We are so excited and can hardly wait! Maybe tomorrow!!! I will let you know!!
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oh Joy!! Lyla was late too! such an exciting time!
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Aww, hello Kindergarten. I trust you are feeling good.
It’s so lovely to see you pop up in my reader, I couldn’t wait to come and have a read. Lovely post.
Welcome home. 🙂
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Loved this Pat. I do NEED my family. When they aren’t all here at a celebration I ache for the one who is missing.
I am so glad you are back! I have been missing you and wondering how you have been doing.
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Hello! I apologize for not explaining my absence! My desktop computer has totally reached the breaking point and has been in the shop for about three weeks! The experts say that they don’t think it can be fixed. Just after my desktop started acting crazy…my laptop…just a bit over one year old…started not being able to hold a charge for more than 10-15 minutes! We have it fixed now, but I can’t get pictures and quotes to save! The one on this post was the only one that I could get! I wanted to use some pictures from our Thanksgiving at the farm…and they won’t even open up on my email! So… we are getting another computer! Plus…I have been going to physical therapy A LOT! I still cannot walk correctly and my back hurts all of the time. That stroke has been no fun at all!
I have really missed you SO MUCH! I will catch up with my reading! Our daughter’s due date was yesterday, but no baby yet! We are so excited and check our phones for a message every few minutes! His mother and I were waiting and ready last week! We will most likely cause a scene in the waiting area! Our husbands will want to sit in some other area!
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I have missed you! And I totally understand the computer problems. Our laptop does not work unless it us plugged in and I keep looking for a good deal on one.
I am so sorry to hear about your back pain. That is no fun.
I did have to laugh about your overdue grandbaby…our grandson was 2 weeks after due date! Looks like those 2 are a lot alike already.
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