Dahl, Barrie, and Lewis...the highlight of my day.

"Our imaginations are the living proof of the artist in all of us.  Never stop imagining."  - Uncle Chad Trumbo in a note he wrote to Keegan at the beginning of Where the Wild Things Are, a book Chad gave Keegan for his 3rd birthday.

There are certain elements that seem to be necessary in all good fiction books.  Castles, trains, forests, swords, talking animals, pirate ships, and strange new worlds all seem to ignite a fire of wonder within a reader - whether he be a child or not.  There is a certain amount of wonder inherently contained within the earthly elements of castles and trains and sailing ships.  Perhaps it is the reminder of times past that will never again be relived and that innate curiosity within all of us of a life lived much different than our own.  

Why is it that these archaic symbols stir within us such a sense of wonder and magic when in reality they are all technologically inferior compared with present day advances, and hugely inefficient compared to what we have today.  Could it be that we all secretly (or for some not so secretly) long for much simpler times and much simpler lives?  Lives more like those that we lived when we were children - away from computers, televisions, and even air conditioning.  Lives we lived outdoors creating, imagining, building, and dreaming in creeks, tree houses, barns and forests.  

It is this yearning within all of us, adults and children alike, that moves us to create, and to believe in places like Narnia, the Neverland, the Other Side of the Rainbow, Hogwarts, Middle Earth, the North Pole, and whatever lies Beyond the Looking Glass.  None of these places even have the luxury of electricity - yet these are the places about which we dream and to which we long to travel.  God created us not so much to desire to be advanced but to desire to retreat into the simplicity of His Creation.  

I think we all grow up loving books.  Dr. Seuss catches our hearts at an early age.  What child would rather do anything other than sit on a parents lap and have a book read to him or her while their minds feast on the wonder and color of illustrations.  Something happens about the time when words outweigh the pictures that causes the interest to wain.  Could it be that we really only cared about the pictures from the beginning?  Possibly we were just reading the wrong books.  Or maybe it was that our parents no longer took the time to bring us up into the recliner to let our minds feast on the wonder and color of the story itself.  Maybe we need to “spoon fed” in this area just a bit longer.  

Within the last few months I began reading to Keegan what he refers to as "chapter books."  He just turned 6.  I was not sure if he had the attention span or the imagination to be excited about a book that is heavy on words and light on illustrations.  We started with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  He could not get enough of it.  We then moved on to Peter Pan.  For those who have not read Peter Pan, it was written a long time ago and it seems like it was not written for a 6 year old.  I had to edit it down so that it was more understandable - but the result was the same.  Our third effort is my favorite, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (which I have read many times but never realized until this time - it is written for a 6 year old, no editing needed).  Two to three times each day Keegan will say something about how excited he is about reading the book tonight or he will, in his Christmas Eve excited voice say, "I wonder what is going to happen tonight."

Some day Keegan will get to the point where he can explore the pages without my help.  Does that mean that we cannot still have our nighttime ritual of opening the pages of a book and opening our minds to the wonder of the imagination that God gave us?  Probably some day we will get to the point in our relationship when he will no longer want to climb up onto my lounge chair and he will no longer allow me to crawl in bed with him.  I am prepared for that.  But, perhaps if the books are good enough, and if none of his friends are watching, that day will never come.