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 THE LITTLE PINK RUBBER BOOTSWhat a spectacular summer day it was, with everything fresh and green, the little flowers bent with the weight of the raindrops from an early morning shower, but now the sun was shining, all was so quiet you could hear the bumble bees buzzing and then the laughter of a child from quite a way’s away. It was time for a walk, a little stroll to the seashore in front of the house. My companion led the way down the lane from the house to the workshop at the end of the tree-covered alleyway. She stopped now and then, picked a flower or two, passed it to me, and I did the same for her. And so it went, just a nice comfortable slow stroll taking in all of the beauty around us and finding all sorts of new things to observe. Every little thing my little friend saw was a reason to stop, every little sound a reason to look at me in wonder, and when the blue jay perched on a branch over our heads and started its’ lecture to us, she squealed in delight, so full of the wonder of it all. An adventure lay ahead at the end of the walk, an adventure for her, but she was unaware of it while I anticipated great excitement. You see my little companion and friend was my tiny nineteen-month-old grand daughter, Kylee. She was a gift and a joy in our lives and had come to Shoal Harbour, Newfoundland to visit us on vacation with her parents. Her other grandparents lived in the Codroy Valley so she had quite a lot of new experiences, sights and sounds to see this summer, and lots of people to hug and love her every day. She had been a tiny baby, born a little early, anxious to get here I told my daughter, but she had grown, and was bright, healthy and smart. Every moment we spent together was an adventure for her and one heck of a memory for me. Kylee was interested in all things, and had many admirers, and she admired many in return. Today was a special day for Kylee. Today she had a brand-new pair of little pink rubber boots that her mom and dad had brought home from a shopping trip the evening before. Now this little girl had sandals that lit up when she walked, ankle boots for long walks, slippers galore, but these little boots took her fancy and were her favorite footwear since she first saw them. She figured out how to put them on, and she kept them on for a long time, in the house, in her pajamas, until her mother could not take the ‘boots on wrong feet’s gait’ that could only bring trouble. So the little boots were put away until this morning of our walk. And she strutted along in those little pink things, so proud of them she would stop and look down and point to her feet. Yes, Kylee had new boots. And it was perfect timing because this morning I, her Nanny, was taking her to the seashore. It was to be her first trip to the ocean, first time to see the little waves of Shoal Harbour, and walk on the beach and play where her Poppy Lowe had played many years before. As we walked, she would get tired, I would pick her up, and she would wrap her arms around my neck, making my heart practically burst with love for this little girl, this little part of me. Her boots would fall off, and she would giggle as we made a game of running back for the boots. She didn’t want to lose those precious pink belongings! The wind ruffled her light baby hair, her eyes widened and she was totally quiet as we reached the water. In amazement she looked and looked, trying to take it all in, and then she saw the sandpipers and the seagulls, the little boats coming and going, and most of all the waves teasing the shoreline, tumbling over each other as if showing Kylee which was better, this wave or that. Her eyes sparkled in wonder and she squiggled out of my arms. Once on the ground she figured out in no time that she could walk in the water and her feet would not be cold, nor would her get wet, and she was enthralled by the protection of those boots. For half an hour or more I watched those little legs and those pink covers tease the waves, jump up and down, she picked up seashells and ran to give them to Nanny, and she was in love with the salt water, the salt air and the experience of the sea. Her cheeks were so red, her eyes so wide, her laugh like music to my ears. She loved the sea, just as her Nanny and Poppy Lowe did, just as her mother did when she was brought to play on Shoal Harbours Beach when she was just little. Kylee’s Newfoundland Heritage shone through, and I was so honored to be the one who took her to see the ocean for the first time. The ocean that we took so for granted growing up in Newfoundland, but Kylee cannot see in Calgary. Lunchtime came and I picked her up to go. She held on, her boots fell off, and I cleaned the sand off and gave them to her to hold, and she clutched them tightly as she looked back over my shoulder for a last glimpse of the water, with the sun reflecting off it like tiny lights. Kylee wore her boots many times while she visited Newfoundland, did all her visiting, went to the seashore many times, and loved to walk in the water. Photographs are all we have now of her time by the sea, but my heart holds the biggest treasure of all, the special pleasure I was given, the honor of taking a little girl to see the Atlantic Ocean for the first time, watches those little pink boots running to and fro, running with her arms up to catch a seagull, running to tease the waves, running toward me with a seashell for my collection of Kylee treasures. My little grandchild is back in Calgary now, and still has her pink boots. And in time she will outgrow her boots, but she will, hopefully, somewhere in her heart remember the day she spent with her Nanny and the waves, and wore her little boots for the first time on the shores of Newfoundland. And one thing that is for sure and certain, this Nanny will never forget the time spent with Kylee, her pink boots, and watched the rhythm of the waves. A treasured memory for this grandmothers’ heart, one that I will always hold as close as the little girl named Kylee held her Pink Rubber Boots! I love you little one, for always and forever. Come back again, and we will visit the waves, and maybe this time Nanny will find some Pink Rubber Boots to match yours, and find that childlike wonder once again, with a special little girl. Submitted by member: Nanny Lowe |
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