In Her Own Words

   It’s raining. Oh, the heavenly sound. I opened my bedroom window so that I can smell the rain washed air and hear the wind rush through the branches of the elm tree by the garage. I didn’t realize just how much we missed the rain until I heard the little girls squeal in delight when it started coming down earlier this afternoon.
    Hours later Elizabeth was narrating a journal entry about playing outside with Anna when it started raining again. She laughed and said, “See, I made it rain!” She started her entry with a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, entitled Rain. I didn’t even know that she knew that poem. Then she proceeded to tell me her story.

Rain

by Robert Louis Stevenson

The rain is falling all around,

           It falls on field and tree,

It rains on the umbrellas here,

           And on the ships at sea.

Saturday November 12th, 2005

     Anna and I are playing in our playhouse. As we play, clouds slowly creep up and the wind begins to blow. We hurry and get some towels to use for blankets. We close all the windows and bar up the door, and – pitter, patter, pitter – the rain drops hit the roof! Our kitten feels lonely and starts shivering. We bring him inside with us and put him in a blankie. He stops shivering and starts purring. We snuggle up and feel like we are in our own house with the pitter, patter, pitter of the pretty rain drops!

    You know, this experience almost went unrecorded because Eric came home from the library with a video and I could feel the journaling opportunity waning. But I stuck to my guns and said, “No journal entry, no movie!” Well, that’s all I had to say and Elizabeth and I were sitting together at the computer in no time flat!
    This entry is such a fine example of a child’s writing voice that I wanted to share it with you (because it’s in first person). I didn’t bring that fact to Elizabeth’s attention because I don't want her to have to think about what person she wants to use. This is how she heard this experience in her head and the coziness of the playhouse and the novelty of the rain sent her imagination soaring.

    God was so good to let me get this experience down on paper for Elizabeth and remind me that's what it's all about, capturing those life stories and releasing the writer within each one of my children.You know I saw the girls playing across the lawn from my bedroom window, but I never could have given shape to that experience the way Elizabeth did – in her own words!              

7:03 PM - Nov. 12, 2005 - post comment

How Precious!

Thanks for sharing your little one's perspective!
(Wish we could blog about the rain...but we've had very, very little since Katrina!)
~ Drewe Llyn

DreweLlyn - 5:11 AM - Nov. 13, 2005

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