This brought back a lot of memories. Emma Let Me Be A Child Again By Charles C. Robey Dear Lord, let me be a child again, just for today. Just to turn back the clock to those happy years of yesterday. A time of the simple way of life. A life chunked full of the joy and happiness. A time when Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny were as real, as the night's happy dream world. Let me run behind that old ice wagon, just to get a taste of those ice chips, left on the wagon bed and let me mysteriously set Grand-Maw's porch ice registry dial to 25 lbs, rather than the 100 lbs that she had requested. Let me hide in the school cloak room, to keep from getting those dreaded Grammar School shots. And please do not let the teacher find me, as she originally did. Even though the shots hurt, I just could not cry in front of all my school mates. Let me hide my newly acquired black horn rim glass in my school desk, so as to not have my school mates call me "Four Eyes". Even though I had to guess what was on the black board. Let me know the joy of making that first basketball goal, in front of my new found puppy love. I just knew I was going straight to the pros. Let me wake up on Christmas morning, to find those Roy Roger Six Shoots and chrome spurs, under the tree. Boy, I could handle any of those bad land guys, who came my way, as I ran up and down the sidewalk on my trusted broom stick horse. Let me ride my first 'Western Flyer" bike, without the training wheels. Putting those clothes pins on the spokes really did make for a good motor. I was off to the races, in a big time way. Let me experience the adventure again, of strapping that old bucket on my scooter and pretending it was a motor. It was really hard, as I attempted to maneuver up that big hill, but it sure was a thrill coasting back down the same path.. Let me know the thrill of sitting by the radio and hearing those old "Super Heroes", such as The Lone Ranger, The Shadow, and Super Man, capture the bad guys and solve all that crime. And, oh yes, experiencing the excitement of sending off those cereal box tops and receiving my decoder rings. Let me have the patients to turn on the TV and wait for the test pattern to go away, so that I may see my favorite cowboy show. Then, experience the thrill of watching the flag waving as the National Anthem played the nightly sign off. Let me again set my fortress up, in that old empty cement coal bend. I was the king, on the throne, with my neighborhood knights of the round table. And oh yes, no girls were allowed. Let me play my old 45 RPM records on my old phonograph again. You know the one, the player that would start playing, when you closed the lid. Let me again learn to drive, by driving Dads old 1947 Chevy around in the back yard. If possible, please put power steering and power brakes, on the car this time around. And it wouldn't hurt to also have air conditioning. Let me visit the New Car Dealerships, and see the new models, as they were placed on the show room floor. The cars that had been hid under the transportation truck canvass covers. Let me see Dad put that new floor furnace in the middle hallway and help me not to get burned on the floor grate. What an improvement over going to bed fully dressed to keep warm. Let me stay warm, as I walk those four miles to school, not realizing the true distance, as all my friends would join in, as we walked. Then what an accomplishment, when I graduated from walking to the bike. The only problem was finding an empty slot in the school bike rack, when I was late. And most important Dear Lord, let me be a child again, and return to my "Old Time Religion" roots. Let me praise God with an occasional spontaneous "Amen" or " Halleluiah" as God's spirit moved in my local church. Now, pinch me Dear Lord, so that I may see the reality of today and that I may hope for strength for tomorrow. Amen. Charles Robey ccrobey@charter.net Happy Mother's Day!! There is more in us than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps, for the rest of our lives, we will be unwilling to settle for less. Kurt Hahn