"So come with me, where dreams are born..."

My parents came to visit last week.  We enjoyed time that was relaxed and easy, going out to eat, shopping, or simply chatting.  Thanks for taking two days of your rare spare time to play with us, Mom and Dad!

Speaking of play, I feel blessed that my family knows how to do just that.  It is those moments of sincere play that dominate my memories from the years.

Holidays are a big deal around our house.  We may not celebrate all of them traditionally, but we make sure we're doing something fun nonetheless.  We welcome a reason to celebrate.

We're definitely old school gamers.  Dominoes, Phase 10, Skip-bo, Monopoly.  In good weather we pull out badminton or volleyball or frisbee and run around the yard like the lost boys.  We get really loud, especially around the kitchen table with card games.  This used to embarrass me to no end in high school--my family giggling like monkeys and poking fun at each other--but looking back I realize that it was this element that equaled everyone in the home. If someone came over during a game, they'd end up joining the table.  We'd have parents and children, cool big kids and scrawny little kids, boys and girls all join our table, all welcome, and we'd play late into the night.  It seemed social bounds were broken around our kitchen table.  Anyone in sight was family.

When we weren't playing games, we were probably singing.  Us kids loved to watch Veggie Tales and laugh at the ridiculous songs while we did the dishes.  We'd turn on Newsies and jump around the family room like paper boys, singing at the top of our lungs.  If my parents knew the lyrics, they'd join in.  We'd end up gathered around the piano singing Disney or Broadway songs, avoiding practicing the classical stuff no doubt.

And then there was dress-up. We always dressed up.  Still do, in fact.  If a piece of clothing was lying around while we did chores, it would end up somewhere on our bodies.  Saturdays were ragamuffin days, us kids ultimately layered in the most random things, venturing down to the costume box to find bows and arrows and swords and wigs and having a grand time.

Some days, we'd be doing all these things at the same time.  It was really wild then.

No, it wasn't idyllic like this all the time.  One of us kids was probably mad at another for something a lot of the time, or my parents were frustrated when we put off work to play, or we were stressed with school and church and just being busy.  But those moments aren't the ones that stick out.

Mostly, I remember a lot of laughter.  I love that it's part of my family's culture.  We play.

"...and time is never planned. Just think of happy things, and your heart will fly on wings, forever, in Never Never Land!"