TheBanyanTree: Reading

[Julie Anna Teague]

>  Sometimes you wonder about a lot of the
> things you did both for and to your kids.  It works out in the end.

I loved reading to my kids, and we had much the same rule.  If they got 
their bath and brushed their teeth and got to bed in time, we'd have 
more time for reading, and they were always good about getting the 
things done. We all loved it when we got into the chapter books.  Seth 
loved animals and one of his favorites was "Doctor Dootlittle".  He 
loved that book and always wanted more than one chapter.  Andy loved 
the outdoor survival pluck of the boy in "My Side of the Mountain", one 
of his all-time favorite books as a child.  Funny that today he's a 
junior at Indiana University, studying Outdoor Recreation and Resource 
Management, and is about to embark on a semester of rugged outdoor 
training in mountaineering, Wilderness First Responder certification, 
climbing, whitewater certification, fire fighting, etc.  Sometimes you 
get a glimpse back a the characteristics of the child who formed the 
man, and I love that.  It's as if something is coming to fruition in my 
son that was always there inside him.

After reading, though, both of my sons always had to have a song or 
two.  Always.  It was a ritual they never let me out of.  We had a lot 
of regulars, but one of their favorite, most soothing songs was a James 
Taylor song "Close Your Eyes."  I can still sing this song word for 
word, and the last line nearly chokes me up every time I sing it.  Some 
moments with my boys feel poignant to the point of heartbreak.  I 
wonder if they still know the words and if they will sing it to their 
own children some day?

Well, the sun is slowly sinking down,
and the moon is surely rising.
This old world must still be spinning round,
and I still love you!
So close your eyes.
You can close your eyes it's alright.
I don't know no love songs.
I can't sing the blues anymore,
but I can sing this song,
and you can sing this song when I'm gone.

Well, it won't be long before another day,
and we're gonna have a good time.
No one's gonna take that time away,
and you can stay as long as you like.
So close your eyes.
You can close your eyes it's alright.
I don't know no love songs.
I can't sing the blues anymore,
but I can sing this song,
and you can sing this song when I'm gone.


Julie

~O
<I~ love to run
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