Where have all the Wild Plums gone?

When I was a little girl, I remember my mom taking us plum picking in the summer. We would just take grocery bags and head out on our search for plums. You could always find us pulled over on the side of the road picking plums not only because they were delicious and free, this was our family outing. Our time to have some fun. I know now that mom did not have the money to take us on some fancy vacation or to buy plums at the store so she made use of what God gave us to keep us happy and entertained. And we were very happy as we filled up our bags with plums a plenty! Mom loved the green ones with salt, my sister loved the ripe reddish purple ones and I loved the half ripe half green. Definitely something for everyone to enjoy with these delicious fruits of the hot Mississippi summer.

But where are they now? I have been on the search for the wild plum trees in our area. Yesterday I traveled one of the same roads that we used to go plum picking and I cannot find a single tree. For many years I have looked and every summer I still cannot find the wild plums of my childhood. Where could they be? How did every God made and free wild plum just disappear? This is driving me crazy because I wanted to share this memory and recreate the tradition with my daughter and let her savor the flavor of this mouth watering fruit.

So with my my taste buds anticipating the flavor memory, a grocery bag in hand and a box of salt, I am off on the trek to find the wild plums. On the sides of roads, in the woods, in the pasture, where ever these little prescious fruits are hiding - I will find them.

As I sing - "Where have all the Wild Plums gone?"

Happy Living, Loving and Laughing,
Angie Lu

The Quest to Find Aleigh

*I have been writing this story in my head for most of my 29 club years and this morning while I have been up cleaning house, singing and dancing, talking to God, I finally have the courage to do it and I ask you to read along with me as I share this heartfelt journey, chapter by chapter.

The Quest to Find Aleigh

Ava's Story

Chapter 1 - The Best Chore

She looks out the big window of the new house, watching her family work in the yard and the garden, She is 8 1/2 years old and excited that she was given the wonderful chore of babysitting her newborn sister rather than having to pick vegetables or pull weeds in the hot September sun. Yes, she was finally big enough to hold and take care of a real baby not just a plastic baby. Out of all the baby dolls she has and loves, her little sister is the most beautiful baby she has ever seen. Ava knows that if she does a good job then this will become her top chore and she wants this chore to be hers and only hers.

When her step-mom, Darlene, comes in with her long golden locks flying behind her, she proceeds to get water for Ava's father, big sister and little brother. She is excited that baby Aleigh is lying on the quilt Ava had placed on the living room floor, gleefully oohing and cooing with happiness. Ava had just changed her and was warming up a bottle to feed her. Darlene brags on what a great job she is doing and what a big girl she is for taking such good care of her newborn sister. Ava smiles a huge smile as she picks up the baby to feed and rock her in daddy's recliner. She really didn't want her to fall asleep for fear that she would have to head outside and shell peas on the front porch. As long as she held this beautiful real life angelic porcelain looking doll in her arms with her big blue eyes looking up at her, then she couldn't do anything else. Hold and rock her she did. Sing and sway her she did. "Jesus loves you this I know for the Bible tells me so", Ava sings sweetly to her. This was by far the best chore around the house.

A few hours later she is still perched in the big chair rocking back and forth with Aleigh in her arms. Her arms are tired and sweaty. She really needs to go to the bathroom but she just doesn't want to put her down. She would take care of this baby and show her the most love and affection. She would make sure she was happy and never hurt. Ava wants to keep her always and protect her the same way her big sister tries to protect her. Yeah, Arial is a very protective and loving big sister who always tries to keep Ava and her little brother from getting in trouble. Arial is a bit stern at times and overly cautious, much like a mother rather than a sister. That is exactly what Ava wants to be to Aleigh, the perfect big sister.

Arial walks in all red-faced and flustered from the hard work, brown eyes and beautiful long brown curls, by far the pretty sister between the two. She then looks over at the two girls kicked back in the chair, rolls her eyes and shakes her head, "can't believe you get to stay inside while we have to work in the dirt and heat", as she walks past them still rocking. Then Alston runs in red-faced as well but he heads straight to his Hotwheel collection in the corner. Grabbing his favorite bright red Trans-Am as he begins making racing noises and pushing it across the kitchen floor where it hits his dirty shoes before flipping over. "Crash!", he shouts with joy at how the car ended from it's quick ride. Her baby brother Alston is a handsome 6 year old with straight white blond hair. Full of energy and always running around the house, mostly happy but unusually quiet for a young boy. Arial has done a great job as his big sister too, and being the middle child for so long Ava finally feels she is old enough for this big responsibility of babysitting just as her 11 year old sister has done for the past several years.

When their mom and dad divorced it was final on Arial's 9th birthday and ever since she had felt the need to take care of her little sister and brother, especially when they were not at their mom's house. Now that their dad had remarried and they have a new little sister to help with, Ava wanted to show Arial she could do it without her help. That she was a big girl now and could handle the bigger jobs such as this chore of watching Aleigh. Dad opened the back door, and yells for Ariel and Alston to get back to work, "you burning daylight" he shouts, "we still have work to do" as they rush out the door to finish the last few rows in the garden. Ava quickly stands up, carefully puts Aleigh on her shoulder and runs to the back door to show him how happy Aleigh is with her newest sitter. He smiles that proud father smile every kid longs for and says "good job A, keep it up" and Ava beams with joy to have pleased him. She wants so bad to make her daddy proud of her and today she did. No longer the middle child but the second in line of the four A's, Arial, Ava, Alston and now Aleigh to complete the sibling foursome.

Babysitting Aleigh, is by far the best chore and Ava had done a good job. She could only hope that next Saturday it would be hers again, as she puts the tiny pink bow back in Aleigh's strawberry blond hair and kisses her on her chubby little cherub check.

*Remember that the power of your words impact your children for life, make sure to fill them with positive and kind words to help them grow to be strong and happy adults.

Hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Give me your feedback.

Until the next chapter . . .

Happy Living, Loving and Laughing,

Angie Lu