Chapter One: Flash Cards and Horse Pastures

The sun feels like how God's laughter must sound today. It overwhelms my eyes with colors fresh and vivid. It reminds me of how light does that funny, rainbow, reflection dance as it bounces through and around the prismatic surface of a clear blue pool on a hot summers day. As I struggle to keep my balance on the grass I am almost overwhelmed by the deep soothing tones of greens that surround my feet and spread a sense of cool refreshment through and up my stubby 2 1/2 year old legs. Behind me I can hear the soft trickle of water over rocks coming from the small creek that separates our yard from the horse pasture behind our house. I watch as my mother is showing flash cards to my older brother on a blanket under the shade of one of the many walnut trees in my parents back yard. "That's right Adam good job! That is a car!" Her voice has a wrinkle of half laughter, half high school football cheerleader enthusiasm to it, that makes me feel as good as if I had been the one to recognize the shape of the car on the card she is holding. She and Adam have been going over these flash cards quite often lately. She always makes it fun for him like a game but even in my young brain I can tell it's not a game. There is a secret mission behind it. A faint but frantic energy surrounds this activity; as if she and Adam have something to prove to the world and not much time to do it. At this point in my life however I did not know why this was so. Soon I would understand their mission and why it was so important to my mother. All that is important to me now though is that my mother is happy my brother finally got a card right and my brother is happy that my mother and I are with him. Somehow the sun is always warm and the air is always sweet when life is young and you live in front of a horse pasture in Idaho. (to be continued)