Summer on the farm in Kansas was a very busy time when I was growing up. We butchered chickens, shucked corn, hoed weeds, and fixed food to feed the harvest crew…even as little bitty kids. So when our cousins came to visit, we made the most of our ‘play-time’.
One summer, the ginormous irrigation sprinklers were spraying their water over the fields like a raging geyser. The best part was the leaking sprinkler making ooey-gooey mud around its base. When my cousin and I found that wonder, we didn’t hesitate to dive in! Cool, slimy mud was an absolute thrill on a hot, (and of course, windy – we’re talking Kansas) day.
It didn’t matter that we were wearing dresses. Mennonite girls from our church always wore dresses. Our ‘swimming in the mud’ fun lasted until I heard my mother calling from the farm house. It was then I realized this may not have been a good idea. We were covered in mud. (It just occurred to me that perhaps I was before my time and that’s why I have soft, flabby silky skin today!)
Yep, my mother was a patient woman, but that day her reaction to two little girls covered from head to toe in mud, dresses and all, was a bit out of character. My memory gets a little muddy (sorry!) here, but I think our punishment was to wash those clothes. I’m pretty sure my Mom had a good laugh once she got over the shock.
I still think that sometimes you have to dive in to new adventures, even if you get messy. Life is a great journey and sometimes I find myself so fixated on the end result that I forget to relish the moment, even if it’s not perfect. I don’t intentionally do stupid things, and when I make a mess whether verbal or physical, it’s important to clean it up. Sometimes the best therapy is to find the humor despite the yuk. I certainly gave my family a lifetime memory to laugh at and tease me about for many years!
Today would have been Mom’s 90th birthday and I’m pretty sure she’s on great adventures in heaven with Jesus, whom she loved intensely. I’m thinking there’s also more laughter there than messes to clean up! Which is a good thing!
Mom’s last earthly Birthday party – 2012.
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