15 years of having and raising children has lended itself to the inevitable sifting through toy boxes and making decisions. Do we box it up and take it to Goodwill, or keep it around a while as it may be worth a fortune someday on ebay. There are things I have gotten rid of worth a little more than what I paid, some worth nothing and other things I forgot we had in the first place. And sometimes you have to consider whether or not something will ever be played with again before you get rid of it. A decision that I have never really struggled with was Legos. Yes, Lego's. Every size, shape, color but all feel the same when stepped on with your bare feet in the middle of the night. In a world full of Beanie Boos, Littlest Pet Shops, Barbies and other girlie toys, Legos tend to take a back seat and often end up in the toy box with random misfits, broken crayons and whatever came home from the treasure box last year in preschool soon only to end up at Goodwill.
However, things turned around this year when Laurel got a new girlie Lego set for Christmas. One which she guards every little piece with her life and the whole world stops if of them is missing. A few additions were made and Legos are now her new passion even if she is only 7. Before I was aware this growing interest with her, I went about my usual business of cleaning and bookkeeping and would often not allow my self to be interrupted should one of her pieces go missing. It wasn't until I noticed how much fun she was having and how she would invite me to play along when I realized how serious she was. Suddenly nothing else mattered. Even during my prayer time, I accepted her tiny Lego ice cream cone she offered me. At this point not only did I want to play along, but wanted to support her cause. I looked through every toy box, laundry basket, and storage bin for any old Legos I could find that dodged the charitable donation visits. We celebrated the victory every time one was found.
Up until 7 years ago, I had never cleaned all the bathrooms, folded all the clothes, cleaned the kitchen and vacuumed all in a single day. I knew something was different that day. Marathon cleaning and a plate of individual nachos with jalapenos on each of them would send me to the hospital on that once-a-year snowy Georgia January night. Today, Laurel celebrates her 7th birthday. When I asked her what she wanted for a present, she told me she wanted a new pair of shoes.
For Laurel
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