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Every Little Thing by April Jeppson

Happy summer!

OK, I know it’s not officially summer, but with school coming to an end for the year, it sure feels like it.

My children were all very excited at the thought of being able to sleep in. I had a flashback of when I was their age. I recall trying to stay in bed as long as humanly possible. My older brother always had different plans, however.

He loved baseball and all things affiliated with it. This manifested in him creating a wiffle ball field in my grandmother’s backyard. I’m not sure if there’s an official size for such a field, but if there is, he created it. There were giant numbered boards hanging in the treeline denoting how many feet it was from home plate. We had similar signs in our front yard, even though it wasn’t a full field.

I think my brother took pride in waking me up every day. He would go through the list of chores we needed to complete before we were allowed to play. Then he would almost beg me to get up so that we could get through our list quickly and go outside. I’m five years younger than he is and about a quarter of the athlete, so in hindsight, he must have been pretty hard up for a playmate if he was knocking at my door.

I wonder what hobbies my children will trick their siblings into participating in. I wonder if they will bribe each other with candy or chore swapping. I hope so. I hope they are all able to get at least one sibling to join them in their fun. If nothing else, it makes for a good memory.

All this daydreaming has me wondering if I have any wiffle ball bats or balls in the garage. As much as I drug my feet, I did enjoy it. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t crave the two hours of practice each day. However, I know that my children would get a kick out of it, and it’s an easier version of baseball to play with a small group of people.

Another game I often forget about is badminton. I’m pretty sure I don’t have that one in the garage, but I should. I can already see my kids being forced (by me) to go play outside. They’ll roll their eyes and drag their feet, but eventually I’d hear them laughing and strategizing. That might be one of my favorite parts of being a parent, when I can hear them being friends.

After we planted flowers I sent the girls into the house to go clean up. I walked into the bathroom to wash my hands and encountered the most heartwarming scene. My daughters were sitting side by side on the edge of the tub scrubbing their dirty feet and just talking. They weren’t arguing, bickering or blaming each other, just talking. And they were enjoying it.

Oh summer, I know you’re not here yet, but I welcome you with wide open arms. Your sunshine and warmth and all the good energy you bring —stay as long as you can.

Albert Lean April Jeppson is a wife, mom, coach and encourager of dreams. Her column appears every Saturday.