I was home for a season resting and writing about my last adventure away when I found myself on the patio sipping lemonade and noticing Mazie. She was sitting at her little picnic table in her yard and coloring in the sun. She had a bucket of crayons to one side and a rather thick school folder to the other side.
“Hello Mazie,” I said, “I see it's a fine day for coloring.”
“Hi Indigo,” Mazie said, “I’m drawing caterpillars. I’m trying to make mine look like this one.” She pulled out a book from under her paper. She held up The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.
“That’s one of my favorites,” I said. “But don’t be afraid to make your caterpillar in your own way.”
“Okay, Indigo,” Mazie said as she continued coloring.
“Hello Mazie,” I said, “I see it's a fine day for coloring.”
“Hi Indigo,” Mazie said, “I’m drawing caterpillars. I’m trying to make mine look like this one.” She pulled out a book from under her paper. She held up The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.
“That’s one of my favorites,” I said. “But don’t be afraid to make your caterpillar in your own way.”
“Okay, Indigo,” Mazie said as she continued coloring.
“Mazie, what is in that fat folder under your elbow?” I asked.
Mazie’s eyes brightened. She shot up, bumping the table and sending some crayons rolling. “It’s all my favorite pictures that I ever drewn!”
She rushed across the yard to show me.
“Mazie, who is this a picture of?” I asked.
“Oh, that’s my baby sister, Sasha,” Mazie said.
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| Artwork courtesy of Mazie Grace - Copyright 2011 |
“Tell me about Sasha and how you see her in this picture,” I said.
****
Pretty Flowers and Sasha Grace
By: Mazie Grace
One spring, I was playing in the yard at my old house. I got the ground real wet and dug a bunch of holes. Mom came outside and saw my holes which looked great to me. She said the yard didn’t look to good with all the holes in it but we could fill in the holes with something prettier than just the dirt that was there before.
Mom cleaned me up and she took me and Sasha to the plants and tools store. She let me pick out some pretty flowers in little boxes. Our car trunk looked like a garden and smelled like dirt. We unloaded the car and planted those pretty flowers in my holes.
We were just about done when Dad came home and he saw our garden. He called it "randomly beautiful." That made my day!
“You see Mazie,” Mom said, “you thought your holes were good before, but they made the perfect place for all those pretty flowers.”
I think what made it even better was that Mom helped me do it.
In the summer, the spring flowers were not looking so good. Sasha didn’t look so good either.
Sasha was the best baby ever. She ate my canned green beans when I snuck them to her at dinner. She laughed at my silly faces. She liked to bang hard toys together and eat books instead of read them. Mom said she didn’t know better. I thought Sasha was The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Mom and Dad told me to be careful with Sasha and to give her as much love as I could. Sasha had a hole in her heart and bandages on her chest. She saw doctors a lot but they didn’t make her better. Mommy says sometimes doctors can’t make people better.
We were up late at night at the hospital. I was bored and wanted to play with Sasha. Dad asked me to sit and color some pictures until Grammy and Gramps came. So, I drew this one. When Grammy and Gramps came, I showed everyone what I drewed.
I said, “It’s Sasha with the hole in her heart, but I filled it in with pretty flowers like the holes in the yard. See! That hole is not so good for Sasha, so I made it better by filling it in with pretty flowers. Maybe the doctors need some flowers.”
I got some tight hugs that night. I didn’t mean to make everyone cry, but they said they loved me. Grammy and Gramps took me to their house and I had a sleep over.
I missed Sasha. The next time I saw her, she was sleeping in a pretty white dress and Mom said her spirit went home to God.
So, this is one of my very favorite pictures I ever drewn.
One spring, I was playing in the yard at my old house. I got the ground real wet and dug a bunch of holes. Mom came outside and saw my holes which looked great to me. She said the yard didn’t look to good with all the holes in it but we could fill in the holes with something prettier than just the dirt that was there before.
Mom cleaned me up and she took me and Sasha to the plants and tools store. She let me pick out some pretty flowers in little boxes. Our car trunk looked like a garden and smelled like dirt. We unloaded the car and planted those pretty flowers in my holes.
We were just about done when Dad came home and he saw our garden. He called it "randomly beautiful." That made my day!
“You see Mazie,” Mom said, “you thought your holes were good before, but they made the perfect place for all those pretty flowers.”
I think what made it even better was that Mom helped me do it.
In the summer, the spring flowers were not looking so good. Sasha didn’t look so good either.
Sasha was the best baby ever. She ate my canned green beans when I snuck them to her at dinner. She laughed at my silly faces. She liked to bang hard toys together and eat books instead of read them. Mom said she didn’t know better. I thought Sasha was The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Mom and Dad told me to be careful with Sasha and to give her as much love as I could. Sasha had a hole in her heart and bandages on her chest. She saw doctors a lot but they didn’t make her better. Mommy says sometimes doctors can’t make people better.
We were up late at night at the hospital. I was bored and wanted to play with Sasha. Dad asked me to sit and color some pictures until Grammy and Gramps came. So, I drew this one. When Grammy and Gramps came, I showed everyone what I drewed.
I said, “It’s Sasha with the hole in her heart, but I filled it in with pretty flowers like the holes in the yard. See! That hole is not so good for Sasha, so I made it better by filling it in with pretty flowers. Maybe the doctors need some flowers.”
I got some tight hugs that night. I didn’t mean to make everyone cry, but they said they loved me. Grammy and Gramps took me to their house and I had a sleep over.
I missed Sasha. The next time I saw her, she was sleeping in a pretty white dress and Mom said her spirit went home to God.
So, this is one of my very favorite pictures I ever drewn.
****
Tears welled in my eyes and I took a sip of lemonade. I swallowed hard and coughed as the lemon tickled my throat.
“Careful, Indigo,” Mazie said while patting my back. “You don’t want lemonade going down the wrong tube.”
I smiled, tousled her hair and said, “Don’t ever lose that picture, Mazie. It is a masterpiece."
“Careful, Indigo,” Mazie said while patting my back. “You don’t want lemonade going down the wrong tube.”
I smiled, tousled her hair and said, “Don’t ever lose that picture, Mazie. It is a masterpiece."
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