Just over a year ago, my husband and I purchased a 200-year-old farmhouse in Michigan.
The man who had owned the old farmhouse lived to be nearly 100 years old. Two of his children, Sharon and Gary, and their spouses still live nearby. We’ve had the opportunity to get to know the “kids” and their spouses during the real estate transaction and throughout the last year, keeping them updated with pictures of the renovations happening to their childhood home. And they, in turn, share stories of their childhood, their parents, and the rich history of the “farm.”
Last week we invited both couples to our family cookout. Adam, our son-in-law, always adventurous and fun, brought all the makings for a homemade Slip ’n slide. A large, long piece of durable plastic, enough Dawn dish soap to last a lifetime, and a garden hose. We had a yard full of grown-ups standing around wondering who was going to make the first move.
Gary, nearly 70, had already become putty in the hands of our three-year-old granddaughter, Yetzy. She had him from the moment she arrived and saw him standing in the yard wearing a sun hat. “Mimi, why is there a cowboy here?” she asked, every word perfectly enunciated. And so Gary, no longer Gary, became “Cowboy” for the remainder of the evening.
Instead of sitting with the “old” people, Cowboy disappeared with Yetzy to the “fun” side of the property where the Slip ’n slide was ready for whoever might be willing to give it a whirl. We were so excited to watch Yetzy create a childhood memory.
I walked around the corner to the fun side, prepared to watch Yetzy going down the long piece of slippery, soapy plastic when I saw Gary, I mean Cowboy, looking as though he had just stepped out of a washing machine before the rinse cycle kicked in. He was soaked and bubbly. His wife didn’t bat an eye. “Yep, I had a feeling this might happen,” she said, all the while reaching for her phone to capture her sudsy Cowboy. I wondered as I watched him “play” if he had forgotten his age and found himself caught in a childhood memory from all those years ago when the upper-middle “through” room had been his bedroom. Did he go back to a time when the old barn had been full of hay, and the ladder leading up to the mow symbolized an adventure of great mystery and hidden treasures? Had another cat given birth to her litter somewhere amongst the green bales of hay? Did he still feel the heat of the upper barn and the smell of fresh-cut grass?
At first I was surprised. I had not told Gary or Sharon that there would be a Slip ’n slide if they wanted to “play” while at the cookout. The thought had not crossed my mind. Did that mean that I had allowed myself to become “old” somewhere along the way? Did Cowboy forget that he didn’t have a change of clothes?
Watching everyone play on the Slip ’n slide was one of the most beautiful moments I have witnessed in a very long time.
I realize that last sentence sounds ridiculous. But as I stood there, for a second, I thought about all the challenges the previous year had brought, some problems that were still mid-challenge—and then I decided to live in the moment in front of me. And the moment made me laugh.
In a precarious, and uncertain world where many people are scared and fearful—everything terrible with the world was placed on pause. Like when you pause a movie to make popcorn or make a dash to the bathroom.
We read in the Gospel of Matthew how Jesus loves a gleeful, childlike heart and childlike faith when he responds to a question posed to him by His disciples:
“Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said:
“I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.” (Matthew 18:1-5)
There is so much freedom in trusting our Father with all the cares and weight of the world. Trusting God is a choice we make throughout the moments of each day.
God does not see us as young or old; He sees us as His children. We can crawl into his lap, rest our heads on His chest, and trust Him with childlike faith.
Eventually, Cowboy took his last tumble down the Slip ’n slide and realized his predicament. We stood ready with a towel and some of my husband’s extra clothes in hand.
Cowboy didn’t apologize for his spontaneous decision to hang out with Yetzy on the fun side. His contagious enthusiasm brought out the child in everyone. The night was an experience of abundant food, new friends, laughter, and suds— and enough scrapes and bruises to ensure everyone would remember his or her Slip ’n slide adventure for at least the next three days.
And what did Cowboy have to say for himself as he climbed into his vehicle wearing a pair of my husband’s shorts which almost fit him?
“I wasn’t about to let an opportunity like tonight pass me up,” he said with a smile. Then he drove away from his childhood home with new memories and a new best friend named Yetzy.
Stay the course…
Sheila
