About once or twice a week, I take the little kids and we go for a walk. We just walk in the same big circle, down our dusty (and sometimes muddy) road, and through the field back to our house.
This week, Edwin came to me and said "walk"...his language is really growing and I'm surprised everyday what he's learning! So, I set off with Caleb, Portia, Edwin, Malvin, and JJ.
These walks are such a joy. The little kids don't mind the shortness of the walk, they just love to tell stories and walk around with their auntie. And for a moment, I'm transplanted back in my childhood--playing in the countryside around our house, imaginations going wild and just enjoying life with my siblings.
This week, our walk consisted of:
--hunting lions in the bush (Portia was the lion)
--chasing little frogs down the road (Portia, Caleb, JJ, and Edwin were the frogs)
--leading my pet puppies back home (Caleb, Portia, and Edwin were the puppies). That one lasted long enough for Caleb to "walk" into cow manure with his hand and then we had to head home for a little clean-up from our walk!
When we go for walks, I see the beauty of being a child out here. I see the joy of a run full force down the road. Every stick as a sword, calling out "For Narniaaaaaaaaaaa!" with a full voice. The sand on the road is an excuse to take off your shoes and run your toes into it. The high weeds are a good hiding place, and of course there are always "snakes" to kill (we've never really had a snake...but lots of pretend ones are killed admidst the bush on our little walks).
Even if I get caught up in the busyness of life here...I'm grateful for these moments where the clock seems to stop and we can just BE...I'm living grateful for these kids, for the freedom to BE kids, and for the joy of simplicity.
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