Plates were scraped from left over bites of turkey and dressing. The women chattered in the kitchen, giggling over secret mom stories.
The kids spilled out of the house into the crisp air. I wore a jacket and followed my older brother Jay and cousin Johnny around the side of the house. Earlier we had raked leaves and taken flying leaps into the piles.
I trailed close behind the boys not wanting to miss out on anything. I remember twirling and wandering around the yard, while Jay and Johnny climbed tree limbs and piled rocks. Before I knew it they had created a homemade seesaw – at least that’s what it looked like to me.
“Carol,” they called. “Do you want to do something fun?”
When you are the youngest and the older kids ask if you want to have fun, you are so thrilled they want to do something with you, your answer is always yes. They could have said, “Carol, do you want to skin a chicken?” And I would have jumped at the chance.
They may as well have asked me to skin a chicken. It would have been safer. They had piled bricks and centered an old wooden board across the top to make their “seesaw.”
“You stand on this end and Johnny is going to jump on the other end,” my brother explained. “It’ll be just like flying.”
Only it wasn’t just like flying. It was flying.
Eager to join the fun, I stood my six-year-old self on the end of the board and waited as Johnny climbed a tree limb and dropped off on the other end.
One, two three – JUMP!
My body went flying high in the air. That first second was pure exhilaration. I was flying. The next second was sad realization. What goes up must come down.
As fast as I went up, I came down – and crashed into the ground.
Thankfully, I didn’t break anything. But I did go running inside to tattle.
Sometimes when we put our trust in people and things, we find ourselves flying, but soon have a quick and painful landing. When we put our hope in the Lord, it’s like building our house upon the rock.
The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. Matthew 7:25-27 NIV
Moral of the story: Trust in God. And when your older brother and cousin ask if you want to have some fun? Run!
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At least it was not me… I bet your Mother did not even whip Johnny!!!
I wondered if you thought it would be about you when I posted that teaser on Facebook. Jay just reminded me of another story where you WERE involved. That one will be next. LOL.