Nathan and Mr. Sid
A Young Boy Finds Answers to Love and Loss
by
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Nathan lived with his mother in a white house with black shutters. Their house sat at the top of a tiny hill on a small street. Nathan was 6 years old Mr. Sid lived alone in a house across the street at the bottom of the hill. His house was yellow with green shutters. It had a big front porch and a long, steep driveway that went downhill from the street to his garage. Mr. Sid was 83 years old. Every morning before school Nathan would see Mr. Sid sitting on his porch waiting for him. Then Nathan would run to meet Mr. Sid by his mailbox at the top of the driveway. Mr. Sid would salute and say, “Morning, Sargent.” And Nathan would salute and say “Morning, Sir.” Mr. Sid would hand Nathan his letters and let him put the stamps on them. Nathan would say “Done, Sir!” and they would both laugh really hard. Mr. Sid would pick Nathan up and let him open the mailbox and slide the mail inside. Then Nathan would carefully raise the red flag on the side of the mailbox. That way the mail carrier would know that there was important mail inside for him to pick up. Then, pretending that they were hiking down a long mountain, Nathan and Mr. Sid would take giant, long steps down the driveway. They would groan loudly as they hiked to the bottom of the steep driveway and stood in front of the garage. “Wow, we made it!” Mr. Sid would always say, surprised. Wow,” Nathan would always say, “That was hard work!” And they both would look at each other and laugh. Then, standing in front of his garage, Mr. Sid would say with a smile: “Are you ready to sing and dance?” Nathan would lift his arms in the air and shout “Yes!” Mr. Sid would stand up straight with his head held high and begin to tap dance. Together they would sing and dance to their favorite song about a “Big Rock Candy Mountain.” Nathan liked it when they sang about the “Big Rock Candy Mountain” as a bright and far away land with crystal fountains. He laughed when they sang about the lemonade springs where the bluebirds sing. And he shouted and stomped his feet when they sang the ending words they added to the song: “Shave and a haircut, two pence!” At the end of the song Mr. Sid would stomp his feet, one after another, and clap his hands. Then he would bend his knee and lean toward Nathan with both arms outstretched. And Nathan would run into Mr. Sid’s arms for a big HUG!
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About the Book
Six-year-old Nathan lives with his mother in a small yellow house at the top of a hill. Across the street from the house lives Mr. Sid, their neighbor, who is eighty-three. Nathan and Mr. Sid are very good friends, and they share a special morning routine every day. They put mail in the mailbox, hike up the driveway, and then sing and dance together.
But one morning, Mr. Sid isn’t outside on his front porch to meet Nathan. The boy starts going through their routine, sure that Mr. Sid will hear him and come out. But he never does. The boy waits until he hears his mother calling him, and then he goes home. There, his mother explains that Mr. Sid passed away the previous night. Nathan discovers that losing someone he loves is hard, but with the help of his mother and his faith in God, he finds a unique way to remember the life of his friend.
This children’s story shares a tale of friendship between a boy and his neighbor and explores the idea of loss and ways to deal with grief.
About the Author
Virginia Wooten Barnes, EdD, is a pastor, author, teacher, and trainer who has traveled the world as an inspirational speaker on conflict, negotiations, communication, and relationships from a biblical perspective. She is also the author of In the Beginning: Life Lessons in Genesis, which shares daily devotions teaching godly solutions to problems we all face. She writes and speaks about the concerns of both adults and children and currently lives in Columbia, Missouri.