The Swing~

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How do you like to go up in a swing, up in the air so blue?

One of the most pleasant things a child can do!
Up in the air and over the wall, oh I can see so wide,

Rivers, trees and cattle all over the countryside~
Till I look down on the garden green

Down on the roof so brown

Up in the air I go flying again,

Up in the air and down!

The Swing by Robert Louis Stevenson

Memories and Swings~

~I'm very young. My mother is pushing me at the park, This may have been on the grounds of our apartments. I'll have to ask my mother if I'm right. Remembering this brings back a feeling of love, excitement and just a safe comforting place to be. I Love you Mom!

~The day I met my childhood best friend, Rebecca. I remember sitting on my grandparents back porch. My mother and I had just moved there. I was calling our little dog back into the yard. As I was glancing down my grandparents hill. 
As my eyes stay searching for our dog, they came across a little girl with a head full of blond wavy hair.   She seemed to be around the same age as me. I watched her as she was swinging high on her swing set.
My mother being a single parent could never afford a swing set as this.
Watching her, I knew she must be having so much fun. Mostly I remember the excitement over the chance of a new friendship. 
 And it was.
We became the best of friends, spending many years swinging and laughing.
To Rebecca, my childhood best friend. You will always own a piece of my heart.

~We all know that wonderful exciting feeling of our stomachs flipping while swinging HIGH. I can still hear the giggles and the songs from my school friends, we would spend most of our recess swinging. Don't you remember as you lifted higher, you began to see over the top bar of the swing set. Next you pulse in mid air only to have the gravity pull you down again. Swinging is most definitely a huge part of childhood~ Even today Allen and I will swing with the kids at the park and for a moment I feel like that little girl again. To all the school girls swinging with friends. I Love you, Sara!

~Lets flash forward, I have a 3 week old baby boy that will not stop crying.
 The swing is the only thing that can help me.
{crank, crank} I'm winding the swing. Yep a wined up swing. Just as I'm drifting on the couch next to this life saver of a swing, It stops. Time to wined again. {crank, crank} Alarming the dozing 3 week old to tears. The next week I'm in the baby department and what do I see?!
A swing that takes batteries!
What a lovely invention for this sleep deprived mother.
(Oh and two babies later, not only a battery swing, but an electric one! This just keeps getting better. )
 He loved that swing and played in it most days until he was entirely too big. He loved it and still loves to swing.
To Little Man that made me smile even through my tears of sleeplessness.

~Pushing my little ones on the swings at the park, being completely in love with motherhood.
To Little Man, Sunshine and Sweet Pea who made me a mother.

~The day Allen came home with rope and a big tire ready to be hung in a tree. Days and nights have been spent on that tire swing. Evey child needs to play on a tire swing. The laughter that comes from this swing is truly the best sound of all.
To the most wonderful guy, my kids call their daddy~

~ It's Christmas, Grandma and Grandpa are here. They have a huge box wrapped in a tarp with a red ribbon on top. Inside this big exciting gift was a new swing set for the kids. Hours and Hours of giggles and songs have been spent there.
Thank you Granpa and Grandma

~ My latest memory of swinging, is this ~ My beautiful Sweet Pea laughing with excitement and giggling as I push her high. It was just a short year ago she was still  scared to sway back and forth. Here she is today accepting it in "full Swing".
To my beautiful Sweet Pea, that smiles with her eyes~

Thanking the Lord for all of these memories and the simple pleasures in life. Who knew a swing could bring so much joy~ What about you? Do you have any memories to share?