Dear Reader:

A little book titled: Stella, Star of the Sea arrived a couple of days ago. I had forgotten I ordered it. This is one of those “penny” books you can order on amazon.com and just pay the two or three bucks to have it shipped to you.

This particular book was an used library book from Buck Library in Doyletown, PA. It was a little battered…but, to me, that is a sign it has been loved and read several times.

The reason I liked it was because the story was about a big sister showing her little brother the beach and ocean for the first time. (Perfect timing in real life)

The little brother is going through the “But Why?” stage (which I still remember from Eva Cate) and the big sister is ready and confident to supply any answer (right or wrong…mostly wrong) to every question asked.

The big sister, Stella, in the story, definitely reminds me of Eva Cate….If she doesn’t know an answer you would never know it…she just makes it up along the way.

The first time the family noticed this “talent” in Eva Cate was at one of the bridal showers for Aunt Mollie. She was just a little over two years old and wanted to help bring the gifts to Mollie and then “help” her open them in front of everyone.

Eva Cate, also, opened the cards and would pretend to read each one making up the most lovely imaginary messages like: “This present is for you and Uncle Woo Woo because we love you and want you to be happy.”  Or “Here are some plates for you and Uncle Woo Woo to put your pizza on because everyone loves pizza.”

Everyone was dying laughing at her imaginary messages…and reluctantly admitted her “interpretative readings” sounded much better than what they had actually written.

Here are examples of how Stella explains names of sea creatures and how they came about….

“Where do starfish come from?” asks the little brother Sam. “From the sky,” answered Stella.

“Starfish are shootings stars that fell in love with the sea.”

“Weren’t the stars afraid of drowning?” asked Sam. “No,” said Stella. “They all learned how to swim.”

These responses from the ‘know-it-all’ big sister touched my heart. Stella would continue telling her brother, Sam, how moon shells came from the moon and angel wings came from sand angels. She never hesitates in her confident responses.

Stella and Eva Cate are ‘two peas in a pod’ in how their little minds work. When I told Eva Cate a couple of weeks ago that the following Sunday would be “Happy Mother’s Day” ….she paused for only a fraction of a second before responding…. “When is Happy Child’s Day?” (My response: “Christmas“)

Stella tells Sam about sea horses…and in the story he looks pretty perplexed asking “Do they neigh or buck you off?”

Stella shakes her head “no” as she floats by on her pink sea horse float.

Eva Cate doesn’t have a sea horse but a dolphin that I gave her for the pool…it is already a big hit with her. John said he remembers his beloved childhood float was a whale.

Throughout the book Sam asks more questions to postpone the moment of stepping into the ocean…he is afraid. He continues> “Does the sea touch the sky?” “Do boats sail off the edge? Where do waves come from? Why….?”

Stella’s patience is gone and asks loudly, ” Sam, are you ever coming in?”

With a smile and loud “YES” Sam becomes one with the ocean…one with the origin of life.

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* Rutledge will be the next “But why?” big brother and Lachlan, this summer, will just be going along for the ride…or swim.

I got one of the biggest surprise “splashes” of my life a couple of days ago. It was from one of my former eighth grade students, Dana Hall Krause… sent on Teacher Appreciation Day.

(The “splashes” that were left after reading it were smudged eye and make-up splashes. I decided to share it on-line because this “gift” has so much meaning to me on many different levels.)

A scholarship in memory of six teachers who made a difference in her life…I bet I can guess who some of those teachers were/are…if you are reading this and you are one of them…please let us know.

I will add this card to my special treasure trove…. (I call it my “rainy day” cedar box)…If I am down…all I have to do is pick up any of the cards in the box and the sun immediately returns to my soul.

*Thank you Dana so much for this recognition and honor….teaching would have been so easy if I could have multiplied you a thousand times…but then teaching should be a challenge…to reach each child’s needs where they are at the time you have them.

I didn’t need , in particular, any student to remember the history being taught…my goal was simply to open the eyes of the students to new ways of looking at the past,  and create a love and interest in the subject, letting curiosity take each one as far as they were willing to go.

“Anything not understood in more than one way is not understood at all.”

So until tomorrow…Thank you Father for imagination, curiosity, learning… and receiving a card like Dana’s on a rainy afternoon. A card that validates one’s existence in this world.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*Walsh, Mollie, Rutledge, Lachlan, and Poogan went to Bryson City to stay at Steve and Lassie’s beautiful mountain cabin over Mother’s Day weekend….It was gorgeous… and getting to see Bill and family was fabulous…But then a tooth that had been causing some problems for Walsh flared up…and the weekend was cut short.

Walsh had emergency oral surgery Monday morning and has been drinking out of a straw ever since…

A few pictures from the trip:

*Yesterday was a big day! Good news for Kaitlyn! She has started working at Breathe Pilates: Studio & Spa every other Saturday…(Babysitting provided at the studio-$5.)

 ***Yesterday, May 13, was also Walsh and Mollie’s wedding anniversary…Congrats! “Productive few years I’d say!

* Mollie’s sister Chelsey and Madeleine flew in to visit with cousins Rutledge and Lachlan…the girls and boys will have fun!

Rutledge and Madeleine are definitely hitting it off…the ultimate sacrifice…Rutledge, willingly, shared some of his trucks/tractors with his cousin!