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Talk of Trains, Gorillas, and Other Things

May came bringing with it crawling, babbling, teaching, traveling, house buying, weddings, trains, and a trip to the zoo. Writing went by the wayside for a little while, but as I sit now in front of the open windows of our little back house, the writing frame of mind returns. Felicity sleeps and for a little while I can reflect.

Our first family vacation started being stuck in the airport since San Francisco was whipped with high winds temporarily grounding all incoming and out-going planes. When we finally boarded, Felicity found plane windows as fascinating as they are supposed to be. At take off, her whee of excitement and intake of breath filled the air—another confirmation that my genes run strong in her.

On the train, from San Francisco to Omaha she woke up in the middle of the night sleepily delighted to find her mommy was sharing the small sleeper compartment. She won’t remember it, but crossing the Rockies, she saw her first snowstorm. White flakes fell down in a white Christmas invoking torrent. 

In Omaha, Felicity found her own personal Mount Everest in the form of “The Steps.” Little baby bottom would disappear around the corner of the living room doorway in the house we were staying. One of us would hurry to assign ourselves the task of Felicity’s spotter and she would climb the stairs, babbling, focused, laughing, and occasionally turning back for approval from her captivated audience.

Her love for furry creatures continued as well. At the zoo, Felicity flapping her arms in joy at the large gorilla created another attraction for zoo goers to enjoy. “Baby seeing Gorilla.”


Somewhere, maybe in a McGuffey Reader, I read a poem calling baby king. They do manage to hold many people in their twenty-pound sway. 

I'm reminded again of the necessity to pray for wisdom when it comes to these little wanna-be sovereigns. 

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