I think it was last Thanksgiving that one of my awesome young cousins asked me some random question about grown-ups. I honestly don’t even remember what the question was, but my answer was something like, “Well, what about me? I’m a grown-up?” Her answer: “You’re different. You don’t act like a grown-up!”

I knew coming from her it was a great compliment. Still, though, it made me wonder…:)

I LOVE my cousins, all of them! I’m the oldest cousin on my mom’s side and while there are a few of us up in my age range, the majority in the group are 10 years old and younger. (And we just found out this weekend there’s another one on the way – yay!) I love running around, playing silly games with the youngsters. But even more than that, I love listening to them talk. They’ve always got fun stories to tell and unique ways of telling them.

And I love those bonding times…when a 20-year age gap is meaningless in a moment of connection.

This past weekend all us relatives (minus a few who live farther away) gathered up in Wisconsin at my aunt and uncle’s house. I got in plenty of time with each youngster – playing with Grandma’s homemade play-doh,games of tag and  “doctor” (which included my adorable cousin Hannah using a blade of grass to give me a “shot”), throwing around a frisbee and a very brief game of Candyland that ended when one of the younger ones hijacked all the colored cards! And just like after each family gathering, I could name a dozen favorite moments with the kids…

One of my favorites this weekend was when five-year-old Jaden arrived with his family. I was sitting outside on a picnic table when Jaden came running around the side of the house. And the first thing he said to me was, “Melissa, I’m writing a book!”

Yep, definitely a moment of connection. 

Jaden spent probably 10 minutes telling me about the book and read me the first couple pages he’d written, and then later in the evening (after a game of frisbee during which two of the cousins konked heads and burst into tears), I spied Jaden sitting in the living room working on page three of his story. 

(I have to add in here that I did feel a certain degree of guilt, watching Jaden’s intent concentration as he moved his pen across the page. I’d brought along my faithful laptop, apparently not-too-determinedly intending to work on my own writing. Yeah, didn’t happen. Not only did Jaden’s motivation over the weekend take me to task, but he told me he’s also writing two plays!)

Aside from the pure enjoyment of listening to Jaden tell me about his story in that wonderful animated way of his, I was really impressed with his grasp on the foundation for a good story. His story is about two boys and a droid, you see, and right away within the first three pages, he introduces his setting and defines a problem his characters must solve. 

Being the somewhat story-obsessed person I am, my fun with Jaden set me to thinking about human-kind and stories. See, I am convinced that we as humans have this natural bend toward stories…it’s why the movie and television industries are so big and why books have stuck around for as long as they have. Even before modern technology, civilization after civilization passed down stories and legends through oral history…

And look at Jesus. He did so much of his preaching/teaching through parables – stories! We humans learn and connect and grow through stories. There’s just something about a story, a good one, that works its way under our skin, rattles our emotions and energizes our minds. 

And for some of us, that love of Story takes us one step further – we feel this need not only to consume but to create. Seeing Jaden take such joy in using his imagination, creating a storyworld, inhabiting it with characters and providing them with challenges…it gave me a mental boost of sorts. ‘Cause the truth is, sometimes this writing a book becomes a bit too to-do-ish for me. I find myself setting goals and making lists and feeling frustrated when I’m not as productive as I’d like to be.

But I was reminded this weekend that it’s the love of stories – and ultimately, my love for the best, most creative Storyteller of all – that has me working at this thing…and it’s not accomplishing a goal that is, in the end, going to fill me with joy. It’s telling a story that both echoes the heart of God and connects with the hearts of everyday people that will make it worth the work…

And so, I’ll keep plugging away at my book, with Jaden to thank for my refreshed mindset as I head into another writing week…

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