"And then they went on."

This evening I had the opportunity to watch a delightful puppet show put on by my sweet nephew Brady. The entire show was completely spur-of-the-moment. I was surprised to see what a wonderful story teller this little guy is, especially when he gets going. It started off with the sweetest of beginnings... "Once there was a little boy riding a cow..." (Which was Spiderman riding on a spotted cow with wheels.) He then began to tell of the adventures of this young boy. Every minute or so he would introduce a new character by having the boy ask if they wanted to join in on their adventure. Soon, many a creature had joined this band of friends. What I loved most about his puppet show was when he would say, "And then they went on." for he said this quite a few times. When they were done at the river... "And then they went on." The cave... "And then they went on." And so forth up the mountain, through the jungle and back up another mountain, they continued onward, gathering friends of all shapes and sizes as they went. There were no questions asked of the new friends but one. "Would you like to come with us on our adventure?"

I have thought about his story all evening. Noone wants to go along on their journey alone. I hope that I can be more like Brady. His sweet spirit was made ever so clear in his play tonight. And a simple message of hope was given. For trials will come. Swift rivers. Dark caves. Tall mountains. Dangerous jungles. And even when we have passed through these we may be asked, again, to climb the heights of the mountains. "And then they went on." His words ring clear. We must go on. Endurance brings light and love to those around us. And those around us will return that light and love. I am so grateful for children. They teach us without trying and love us without question.