Chasing After the Wind...And Then?

Imagine yourself living in a hidden paradise; few people knew its location. A quiet Obey river flowed nearby; the cows, goats, sheep, lambs and horses wandered the land freely. A very special small group of neighbors shared this paradise. The outside world had not yet made itself known. Each family became one big family.

We lived together as a highly functioning unit. Neighbors helped neighbors! All the children played together with no arguing or fighting. We swam together, rode our bikes, played in the swings, gave our dogs baths and did all the things children like to do. The river was our favorite playground. There was no traffic nor the outside world to bother us. It was important that an adult or a highly responsible older boy or girl was in attendance just in case we ran into trouble.

Can you simply imagine the joys of some twenty to thirty children at play in one of many little eddies with natural whirlpools? We played until all our energy was gone. It was time to "saddle up our horses" and make way to our homes. We never said goodbye, because we knew other days would come, perhaps even better ones. We truly were playing in our own little paradise. The majority of our children today do not have access to such a splendid outdoor world in the beautiful countryside. In everything "give thanks" and we did because we were truly privileged to enjoy this sacred