My six year old and five year old girl sure were small at one time.   This picture is not just any picture.  It has a story that touches my heart in a very special way.

My family visits my Mom at least 2 to 4 times a month.  We try to make it every Sunday when we can.  Our time with her is priceless.  My Dad died over a year ago and we miss him.  Justin and Kaylee always ask about Grandpa.   I have lots of stories to share with them.

I grew up in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.  My mom still lives in the very house I was born in along with my siblings.

It was a beautiful place to grow up.  Few distractions, not many toys or stores to shop at, friends lived a ways away.  I spent my growing up years stomping through my woods and pretending.

The rocks you see in this picture are cars.  Really they are cars!!!   Wow oh wow did I ever go places.  I went to lands that only I knew about.  My magic car took me on grand adventures.  Sometimes my stuff animals went with me.   I usually had my purse and keys.

So this is why my picture means so much to me.   I feel so blessed that I can take my children here.  They have so many toys, we are always at some play group or park, and stores are on every corner.  But here up at Grandma and Grandpa’s house they have a little taste of what mommy had as a little girl.

A few days before my Dad passed away we had a little talk.  He smiled at me in his bed and said something to me that I will never forget.  I could tell that he was sincerely full of joy. He said, “It’s really neat that you can show your little ones the very places you played.”  My Dad worked hard and built our home from scratch.  I think he knew this was his end.  Tears fill my eyes just sharing this with you all.

My husband blesses me so much when we take our kids to visit their Grandma.  Sometimes he will take our kids for bear or bobcat or mountain lion hunts.   Just for pretend of course.  They always find elk and deer tracks.  One time they found antlers.

Just the other weekend they took their bow and arrows.  I watched them with my mom from her Kitchen window.  With tears in my eyes, I remembered that once upon a time I played on that hill.  It was such a delight to see my little hunters shooting arrows in the sky.  But I could see in the way that they moved that they were really pretending to be hunters.

In my city home now with my family.  I want my kids to have lots of time for make believe.  And they do!!!  It’s all about making time for just play and no agenda to follow.