The Great Escape

"From my earliest memories living in Dallas after we moved, I had this insatiable desire to explore and see new things. I guess I figured the more I took in, the more I could draw and know about things. Mom was constantly warning me about getting into things.

The pictures I posted are of my hands. I cannot paint with out getting it every where. I cannot draw with out seeing it all. I do not want to be a bystander in life, I want to get deeply involved with life. I am chuckling now, because if you knew what I knew about my life you would be tired and ready for a two week nap.

Once at about age eight, I was sitting on our back porch minding my own business watching Nanie's birds on the feeder. I saw her come out of her house and open her garage door and back the car out. She opened the trunk and went back into the house. Next I watched her carry some large boxes out and place them in the trunk of her 52 Plymouth. It reminded me of a big brown bubble...the car that is. She closed the trunk and went back into the house. Seems like hours passed, but it was truly only minutes as I climbed down off the back porch and headed to the car. I walked around it several times with my imagination flying. What could be in those boxes.

Maybe it was old clothes to donate to the Red Cross. That was pretty corny... I could imagine better than that. How about boxes of cookies going to the church for a festival? My stomach growled with the thought of a hot peanut butter cookie. The boxes could have books in them to go to the library, or they could have old shoes in them for the homeless shelter. Or wait, what about can goods to help feed the homeless.

I opened the back door to the car and climbed up in the seat to sit and think about this more. I had my sketchbook and began to draw boxes and boxes still wondering what was in them. I pulled my legs up in the big back seat and leaned back and promptly fell asleep. It must have been a deep sleep because I didn't wake up when Nanie came outside and scratched her head wondering why the back car door was open. One pop of her hip sent the door shut as she climbed in the drivers seat and back out of the driveway. She never noticed me in the back seat asleep.

The movement of the car must of kept me from waking because I slept on. When Nanie stopped the car at her church she got out and opened the trunk and began to unload the boxes out on the parking lot. She took them into the church to the quilting bee and the fabric that she had packed in the boxes was going to be used on quilts for the homeless for Christmas.

Meanwhile I woke with a start and peered out the car window. I didn't know where I was, but bravely I got out of the car, sketch book in hand and looked around. I knew it was probably Nanie's church so I went in the nearest door and followed the sounds of women laughing and visiting. I stopped at an open door where in the room were four huge quilting areas with about 8 women sitting around the sides of each quilt stitiching and visiting, having a good time. To an eight year old, it was heaven. I quickly scooted down on my knees not to be seen and crawled under the nearest quilting group. Sitting there under the stretched out fabric I felt like a princess in a tent on the desert in Egypt. I opened my sketch book and begin to draw the story unfolding in my head.

There was no thought to my frantic mother and father who were out looking for me. I think my mother knew in her heart I was safe because she knew me well enough to know I was on a journey that day. Looking back at those times and then remembering raising our four children... I tried to be cautious with my brood allowing them freedom, but with so many I had to keep a watchful eye with the help of David. My mother only had me and she was very over protective. The world is changing so much today, my grandchildren do not have the freedom to emerse themselves in life with out parents close by to watch over them.

My trust remains in God and I know he watches over all of us."

Lauren
24 November 2008