Long ago, in a land far, far away there lived a family who loved each other very much. Daddy, Mama, Sister and Brother were never very far from one another and laughter filled the air in their tiny little home tucked away in their tiny little town. 

Until one day, after having grown big and tall, Sister went away to learn more about the world outside of their tiny little house in their tiny little town. She missed the smell of the air amidst the towering pine trees, the chill of the water from Little Bear Lake. But most of all she missed hiking up the mountain trails with Daddy and Mama and Brother. She could not come home often because her new life kept her very busy and as time passed her nose forgot the scent of pine and her skin no longer craved the cold wet sting of the Little Bear. The mountain hikes with her family were traded for a 30 minute run on the treadmill at Big Box Gym.

And then came time for Brother to strike out on his own. He found himself in a strange city and ran full speed into the flashing lights and loud noises of his new metropolitan life.

Daddy and Mama missed their little ones and prayed together everyday that God would keep them safe in all of their endevours. They set aside a little money to visit when they could but reconciled themselves to a life where they two walked the mountain path and reminded one another of all the beautiful memories of having raised their children.

One day, Sister and Brother both came home on holiday to spend time with Daddy and Mama both bringing their spouses. Daddy and Mama were filled with such joy knowing that their children had found happiness in their helpmeets. The company of six strapped on their boots and hiked to the mountain path sharing memories from years past when Sister’s nose perked up and flooded her senses with the fresh scent of pine she didn’t even realized she had missed so much and Brother made note of how peaceful it was not to hear the sounds of traffic gridlock he battled on a daily basis.  They all stopped to take a break at a point on the path and looked out at the tiny little island not far from their tiny little house in their tiny little town and were struck by the beauty of the still moment.

Sister then turned to her mother and said, “We’ll have to bring the kids here to learn how to swim.” Mama’s face wrinkled for a moment before understanding set in and she let loose a shout that so powerful that everyone jumped 2 feet in the air. 

Celebrating all the way down the mountain path Daddy, Mama, Sister, Brother, their spouses made their way back to the tiny little house with two new tiny little babies bouncing along in Sister’s tummy waiting to have their own adventure climbing the mountain paths in the tiny little town near Little Bear Lake.

~ Marta C. Youngblood