A little light in a long, dark week...

So Kate, our 10 year-old, is home sick today from school. It's been a rough week for me because Carroll is away in Europe for work for two weeks and so far:

-Monday was a half day for Kate, so I couldn't go in to the office
-Tuesday it started snowing and after taking 90 minutes to drive to Kate's school and back, I decided maybe I wouldn't drive the 30+ miles to the office
-Wednesday, there was a two-hour delay and then they cancelled after school activities due to ice (I made it to the office for 4 hours and then worked from 9 pm to 3 am)
-Thursday, on my way in for the first full, in-the-office day of work in a week, I went to fill up the car with gas (across the street from the office) and managed to douse myself with gasoline, which required me to go to Ann Taylor and buy a new outfit, then go the gym and take a shower, then go to the dry cleaner's a drop off my clothes!
-And then today, Kate is sick.

So I needed something good to happen today. Kate slept in and when she woke up, she was feeling a lot better. While I took conference calls and did my e-mail, she sat at the kitchen table and wrote a picture book for her siblings. I was so amazed at it that I had to Skype it to Carroll in Europe. And now I have to share it with all of you. I hope you like it as much as I did.

Tricia

"When the sun was young"
By Kate Muffett

When the sun was young, she was sad. She was lonely, for she had nothing to shine on, for it was when she was small that the universe was empty.

All she shined on was the black sky around her.

The sun was so sad and small in the big, black space that the spirits who created her now helped her regain happiness. So one day, Sun gave birth to nine beautiful children.

The sun was so happy that she gave each of her children a name and a gift.
Her first son, Saturn, she gave a ring.
To her second son, Jupiter, she gave size. He would be the biggest of his brothers.
To Pluto, her smallest son, she gave hope. Hope that he would be like his brothers someday.
To Mercury, she gave speed. He would be the fastest of the brothers.
To Neptune and Uranus, her twins, she gave reason. They would always be reasonable, even when their brothers weren't.
To Venus, her seventh son, she gave responsiblity. He would take care of his brothers and be responsible for what he does.
And to Mars, her youngest son, she gave joy. He would spread it to the other planets when they were sad.

Then the Sun turned to her daughter, Earth, and whispered to her...
"You are my daughter and I shall grant you my love."

And because of her mother's love, forests and oceans sprang up on little Earth
and whales and fish and dolphins played in her waters.
Elephants came to be on her lands.
Birds flew in her skies. Wolves ran on her ground and cats slinked in the tall grass.

Mother Sun was happy and so was little Earth.
But high up in the sky, the spirits decided that Earth was worthy to hold more and be appreciated more.
So the spirits made people.
And the people were to go onto little Earth and little Earth liked it.
Mother Sun told her daughter to love and care for the creatures on her and she did.
She gave them shelter and food and they loved her. She became Mother Earth and all of her people and animals were her children.

All of her brothers were excited and happy for the new creatures and Venus, because of his responsibility, gave Earth a moon.
"Because our mother does not shine all the time, Luna will shine for you at night." And she did.
Luna kept the Earth company at night and shone for them.

All the planets were so happy that they danced around and around and around Mother Sun, and they are still doing the eternal dance today.

And Mother Sun gives light to all who live on her daughter, the Earth.

The End