Three Stories

One...

On Saturday morning, there was a cool, crispness to the air. The wind was blowing. It certainly felt like Fall had finally arrived.

Sydney is fascinated with the seasons...all of them. And she's not really sure what order the seasons come in (which really isn't that hard to understand since we live in the crazy, weather-confused South).

We walked outside and leaves were falling from the trees above us.

Sydney practically squealed.

Oh, it's Fall. It's Fall. I'm soooooo excited.


That afternoon, we went out to do some errands. As we walked out the door, she said, I can't believe it's Spring now.

I tried to explain that it was still Fall. It just felt like Spring. Not the easiest thing for a four-year-old to understand.

Two...

Sydney was happy to discover yesterday that she and her stuffed poodle have very similar bows to wear around their necks.

I think we're almost twins, she said. We both have black bows with silver polk-a-dots on them.

Except for I'm a human being, and she's a dog.

And I'm for real, and she's not real at all.

And Three...

We got this in the mail yesterday. It was a Thanksgiving card from the Baddour Center, a home for adults with intellectual challenges that Gary and I support.

Maybe ten minutes after seeing it very briefly, she said out of the blue:

Do you know what that is on the front of that card? It's a cornucopia (pronounced exactly right).

I asked her how in the world did she know that word?

I think I saw it on tv, she said.

A cornucopia is a horn-shaped basket filled with all the things you're thankful for. Things like little pumpkins and fruit and nuts.

Then Delaney told her that she wouldn't have even known that word if we'd asked her what it was.

I know something that a 12-year-old doesn't, was Sydney's reply. I really can't believe that.