THE PAST RETURNS

I GOT ALL EXCITED WHEN MY SIXTEEN YEAR OLD DAUGHTER ASKED ME IF SHE COULD GO TO THE ATTIC TO GET HER OLD FARM ANIMALS. THE THOUGHT THAT SHE WASN'T TOO OLD, TOO COOL, TOO SOPHISTICATED, REALLY TOUCHED ME. PERHAPS SHE WASN'T SO EAGER TO TOTALLY GROW UP. AT ONE TIME THEY WERE A HUGE PART OF HER DAY. SHE WOULD PLAY WITH THESE LITTLE FIGURES, MAKING ELABORATE FARM SCENES, OR USING THEM TO RETELL A STORY BOOK SHE HAD HEARD. SHE WOULD LOOK FORWARDS TO RECEIVING THE NEXT SPECIES OF ANIMAL AND THEIR OFFSPRING. I HAD PACKED THEM AWAY, LOVINGLY FOR ANOTHER TIME DOWN THE ROAD, WHEN A CHILD, WOULD ONCE AGAIN, EXCITEDLY, DEVOTE THE KIND OF LOVE AND ATTENTION THAT THEY WERE USE TO RECEIVING. HAD SHE FOUND A NEW WAY TO INVOLVE THEM IN HER WORLD AGAIN, SOME CUTE TEENAGE WAY TO DISPLAY THEM IN HER ROOM? CURIOUS, I ASKED. "NOPE JUST NEEDED THEM FOR A SCIENCE PROJECT" . ONCE AGAIN, THE FIGURES TOSSED ASIDE IN THE TYPICAL TEEN WAY FOR MOM TO PROPERLY PACK AWAY. I DO IT WITH THE HOPE THAT MY DAUGHTER'S WORLD SLOWS DOWN ENOUGH ONE DAY THAT SHE FINDS HERSELF IN PLAY WITH HER LITTLE ONE AND SAVORING EVERY CREATIVE MOMENT.