Let's Pretend

       As a child, I loved to pretend...I would often pretend to be a fire-fighter, a workman, a soldier, a mother, etc. One day, my sis and I climbed to the top of our swing-set, pretending to be hard-working-construction workers. We used our crochette mallets as hammers...that late afternoon, we thought we'd mix it up a bit. I pretended to have fallen from the swing and began screaming, "HELP! HELP! I THINK I'M DYING! HELP!" Then, my sweet little sister followed my lead and began screaming, "HELP!" as well...we had an older neighbor lady who was very tired of our antics. She used to watch us out of her curtain as we acted up and were mischievous! That day, she marched out onto her porch and called us over to her house. Sheepishly, we walked over there. (mind you, I was about 9 and my sis was 5) She proceeded to scold us, telling us about the boy who cried wolf and how he was eaten because nobody believed him due to him lying one too many times. She even told us that if we continued, she would tell our dad! (insert laugh here! that last threat usually worked with us cause we knew if dad found out, we wouldn't be laughing anymore)
       So, pretending as a child was our way of going into another world. Why is it that adults don't pretend anymore? Is it because we are "too mature" to relax and just have fun? I love listening to my children play pretend. They often love playing "Max and Ruby" a fun rabbit cartoon. They don't know that I listen to them and their cute little voices...I love it. It brings me back to my childhood and the hours I would play with my sister. She was my best friend and still is even though we live four hours apart.
       I often sit and pretend that all is right in the world, even though I know that it's not...I could get all worked up over the economy. I could get worked up over the war in the Middle East, upset with the oil spill in the Gulf, become irrate over our country's direction, but instead, I choose to pretend that all is right in my little world. I have two healthy children, a man that loves me to the moon and back, friends who mean the world to me, a family that loves me for me and not what they think I should be, a job that is rewarding, and I could go on and on...so, go ahead and "pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars" and wish for whatever you want. I ultimately believe that our words become a reality in our existance. So, choose your words wisely.
       I don't have to pretend that I will see family who have gone on before me. I know where I will spend eternity. I know Who made that belief an existance so we don't have to pretend there is a Heaven. There really is a Heaven and the exact opposite, a Hell, no matter how hard that is to believe. I believe this with all of my heart, and it's not a fairytale but a reality. So, I don't have to pretend there is a God...there always was and is and is to come...