Gency Brown

Welcome back to my Little Brown Cabin. This time, I thought I would share a bit of my writing. This is a piece required during a writing class a few years back. Part of the reason for starting this blog was for writing practice, of course, but also to let you experience my style and share the journey. I welcome your comments.

A Child’s Symphony

“Honey, hand me that fly swatter, quick!” Swat!

My grandma always had her weapon of choice close by. Funny, I don’t think I have one in my house. These days we shut tight the windows and doors to keep in the expensive processed air and insects and sounds of nature out. Back then, the constant slap of the screen door filled the air as grandkids never settled in one place for long. 

“Stay in or stay out. You’re letting in the flies.” She’d yell from the kitchen sink, where she sliced peaches for a cobbler. Her face flushed as the oven added to the heat of summer. An embroidered hanky hung from the pocket of her calico bib apron, ready to mop away moisture from her brow. Light breeze filtered through the screen on the kitchen window along with sounds of birds singing, chickens clucking, and children playing.

I miss those melodic sounds mixed with the percussive smack of a fly swatter, and the clap of that old screen door. Favorite memories. Oh, and the smell of that peach cobbler, still on grandma’s apron as she tucked me in after a day filled with sounds, some I wouldn’t appreciate until now.

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I probably melded both my grandmothers together to form this lady. It’s fiction, but I remember all those sounds. I was that child sitting under, or up in the big oak tree, taking it all in. But did I miss anything? As kids, we don’t realize how quickly time goes by and what will be needed in life. The other day, I was reminded of a quote from Michelle Obama. “Our mother always said, I’m not raising babies, I’m raising adults.” Take time to teach and show the young ones what is important. The sounds especially, which should include your words of love and encouragement. Don’t treat them like babies. Share everything with them. The good and the bad. It will give them the tools for being fine people later. Our world could use a lot more folks who had a nice symphony of childhood.

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