Angelica from Hawaii

Before Spring had sprung, our family had a visitor…she came down the stairs dressed in her bathing suit with shorts and tee shirt over that, and a light yellow jacket on top.  She wore a pink tinkerbell visor with sun glasses and flip flops.  She introduced herself as a friend of Maddie’s from Hawaii!  She even had a little accent, a lispy sort of accent, but was very chatty telling us all about her life in Hawaii and how she met Maddie.  She hung out with us as we got dinner ready.  She showed us all the things that were in her small brown “luggage case”.  When dinner was just about on the table, we asked if she knew where Maddie was.  As she nodded her head yes, we asked if she would go tell Maddie that dinner was ready and she needed to do her routine (our word for the diabetes shots routine) and come eat.  She said she would let her know, said goodbye, we wished her a “bon voyage” and a few minutes later, Maddie came downstairs dressed in what she had been wearing that day, which were long pants, a long sleeved shirt with a sweater, socks and shoes.  Good way to dress for the frigid temps we had been having.

As we got Maddie ready for dinner, we talked about her friend from Hawaii.  She asked if we got to meet her and if we liked her.  Maddie explained that her friend was a bit cold since she had dressed in her Hawaii clothes.  She also told us that her friend, Angelica is her name, does not have diabetes, so she (that is, Maddie) has to explain everything to her.  It was all quite fun and we kept it lighthearted and played along.

Yet my heart couldn’t help but ache a bit.  Whether Maddie realizes it or not, I wondered if the play acting is actually how she is working out things that she longs for:  warm weather and no diabetes.  I don’t exactly know how a child’s mind works, but it seems pretty evident that she would at least on some level want sunshine and warmth (me too!) and to be free of diabetes (i want that for her too!)  Maybe she even wants to travel (i could go for that as well!).  How wonderful that children have a healthy way of dealing with these longings…playacting is so much better than temper tantrums, pity parties, and the like.  As an adult, I tend toward the latter…perhaps I’d do better to get on my shorts and tee and flip flops…

…maybe even GO to Hawaii!!:)

0 thoughts on “Angelica from Hawaii

  1. nancy t says:

    Children truly are miraculous, and you are a wonderful mother. Your drawings are so special and reflect the beauty of your darling little girl. We can all take a lesson from Maddie and “Angelica” …. and from you, too. nancy

  2. Melanie Masi says:

    So dear that you knew to play along and had the time to do so. It’s difficult as a parent sometimes to go into that world of children, but when we do we emerge refreshed, they have so much to teach us. I know that as adults we can’t really have our Angelica’s (people might talk), but we do need to escape from the pain of everyday life whether it is in reading, painting, writing, singing, whatever creative abilities God has given us we need to go there. Love to you and the family. Melanie Masi

  3. Lynn says:

    Maddie has a fabulous imagination, she sounds absolutely adorable!
    I love your sketches of her and Angelica, especially the colorful little spatters you put in the backgrounds.

  4. jill says:

    Lovely message! And just have to send Maddie?Angelica greeting from here on Norfolk island. not quite hawaii but certainly warm and in the middle of the Pacific.
    Jill

  5. Timaree (freebird) says:

    These are really nice pics. She’ll love this memory later on. I love your splatters and freedom with the paint. This is watercolor I can see but what did you use for the pics of your father? Markers?

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