Time for School

The first Day of School found my little brother John dressed in his best plaid jacket, a bow tie askance at his collar, a hastily placed name tag dangling from red yarn about his neck, Mrs. Goodwin his teacher for First Grade. Brown hair and big brown eyes, dimples made all the more deep from his ever present smile.

It wouldn't be many weeks later that a note would go home with John. The presence of my parents requested, Mr. and Mrs. both.

My father was not someone to be called from his day of work, he looked at Mrs. Goodwin quizzically as she spread before him my brothers art. "You're son is deeply disturbed!" As proof she offered examples of the art of John's classmates. Houses and sunshine, flowers, Mom and Dad, all painted simply, blue skies and rainbows. Across John's newsprint spread dinosaurs and erupting volcanoes, the sky vivid shades of red and purple, not a rainbow in sight.

My father unfolded his frame from the little people chair and gathered my mother to go. He didn't bother to explain to Mrs. Goodwin that John loved to draw from his mother's art books, he simply looked down at her from his towering height and said in his deepest voice, "You Madame, wouldn't know art if it bit you!"

 Imagine Mrs. Goodwin's surprise when her student teacher for the year more than a dozen years later should be none other than John, his dimples still in place!


I absolutely have to giggle at my Cute as Can Be little alarm clock. Could I possibly have glued another thing on it! I love it, and I love my brother John!