A young girl on my route, concerned that the fairies would have no place to lay their weary heads at night, in the warmth and safety of their own home, asked a question of her parents: shouldn’t every tree on the street be made a home for the wee folk of the neighborhood? Her parents convinced her that one tree should suffice, the one in their own front yard to be precise. A wooden door was cut out, painted and installed at the base of the tree. A pebble and river rock pathway was strewn. A white picket fence became the border. A Home Sweet Home sign was hung.
Each day something new was added; the little girl running excitedly to check on the development of this Fairy home. Plants appeared on either side of the door, a little, red wheelbarrow, a snazzy scooter parked at the curb. But how, she asked, would Mailman Steve deliver letters and packages for the Fairies? Good question, and next appeared a mailbox, converted from a bird house, with a sign “U.S. Fairy Mail”.
Months later, many Fairies have now made it their home. What started as a simple, yet sweet, tree house, thanks to a young girl’s concern, has grown to become a sizable village to accommodate all their needs. Each day, something new is added, and, each day, the little girl runs to see what has changed, checking to see whether the Fairies have received any mail. They do…
Neighbors, both young and old, when walking by, crouch down to see what a young girl’s eyes see, remembering perhaps when a sort of magic and a sense of wonder were a part of their each and every day. And that is this young girl’s (and her loving parent’s) gift, not only to the Fairies, but to each of us as well.
On another street in the ‘hood, another creative couple shared with the community the grand idea of a little free library. Take a book, return it when read, add others that you want to share with your neighbors. Its a grand idea. I delight in seeing Sydney, the sweet girl that lives at this home, run over to the library to see what has been taken and what has been left. Four doors down, the owner of the in-house daycare walks her fledglings over each day to choose a book for read-aloud time.
Both the fairy tree house and the free library are such wonderful and creative ways to unify community and to release magic into the hearts of children of all ages. Yes?
