Whew! Scary story out of Florida about a girl who loves Lanie and wandered off into a swamp. My heart goes pitter pat to think of it–and I’m so, so, so relieved that she was found and is back with her family. I talked with a reporter last night and a couple of CBS local anchor people to the sounds of early morning bird song. As I said to the reporter…who hasn’t participated in the chorus that went with our family picnics and hikes in Ethiopia? Mom: Girls! Not so close to the edge! Us: Oh, Mom!
As soon as I was a mom, I immediately played out my part in the chorus. Me: Kids! Not so close to the edge! My kids: Oh, Mom!
At this time of year when I mourn (still) what we lost in the Red River flood, I have to say it: when it comes to Mother Nature, love had better always include respect.
Luckily for my magical childhood, my sisters and I were the only American kids in the entire Maji area–so we could run around with both very little supervision and very little danger of getting lost. Since Cambridge, Massachusetts isn’t Maji, Ethiopia, I gave Lanie an aunt to be her role model, mentor, and companion in her outdoor explorations.
Nice to have aunt models under my nose that I could draw from as I thought about Aunt Hannah and Lanie and the adventures they could have together.
