Kites

Last weekend I went kite-flying with my children, wife, sister-in-law, and a friend of the family. It was one of the best experiences I have had in years. My kids were just beside themselves with the things, and I have to admit it brought a lot of great memories back for me, too.

First of all, kites aren't what they used to be. They are quite fancy these days! When I was young I had just a four-point stick kite with an old scrap of a tee-shirt for the tail. Of course my friends all had better kites than I did (we were poor) but at least I had one. I remember going to the big field near our mobile home park and just letting hours go by as I let that kite fly. I remember looking up into the sky and deciding what the clouds looked like; a ship, or a dragon, or any dozens of things a young boy can imagine. Funny how the kites we flew the other day were actually shaped like a pirate ship, a dragon, a shark, and a Fokker Triplane! (Thank you, JR, for getting the fancy kites with us...they're just cool.)

The hours the other day went by pretty quickly as we flew our kites and walked around the big field. It was the most peaceful time I'd had in weeks. No work obligations and no household chores. Just me and the people I love watching the wind take our kites high into the sky so they could dance upon breezes and entertain us better than a good movie or a video game ever could. To run, to laugh, to play with my kids that day is not something I'll soon forget.

We'll have to go out again soon! Spring will soon be summer and the best windy days will be behind us...but the memories will never be.