we have a foot locker that belonged to bebe's great grandfather that we keep under a window in the dining room. it's in a nice, out of the way spot that gets lots of good light and bebe has adopted it as one of her hang-outs around the house. sometimes she brings books up to read, other times she stands on it to point excitedly out the window, and sometimes she just sits on it, talking to herself or thinking deep thoughts.
i know lots of folks like the "conversations" we have with beebs, but some times the pictures tell their own story. one of the many great rewards of being a parent is sitting back and watching as your kid just does his or her thing, exploring what's around them and figuring things out. the hardest, and sometimes best, thing you can do as a parent (i think) is to just get out of the way...
when gumpy went off to war, he apparently concluded that finding a barnes and noble would be difficult, so he filled that trunk with books, classics that he could read and re-read. for more than two years, he lugged that trunk all over the pacific, stowing it in the cargo compartment of his C-47 as he dodged anti-aircraft fire, dropped paratroopers, supplied marines and otherwise had an up close and personal perspective on war. he never became a pacifist but the longer he lived the more in touch he became with his memories and feelings about the horror he saw and the more distressed he became about politicians blithely sending young men and women off to put their lives on the line. i am happy that my granddaughter is also using the foot locker for reading enjoyment and i fervently wish that she and her contemporaries can live in a world beyond war.
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