Musings: Days at the Park

Looking back at my childhood, one of the fondest memories I have is the many trips that my family used to take to Maymont Park down in Richmond, VA. I loved that park. We would have picnics in the huge open fields, and then throw a ball or frisbee with one another. I loved the "army tree"which was the tree that my sister and I used to climb in all the time. We called it the army tree because the bark was a two toned giving it the appearance of Army cammofluage. The limbs of the tree were just right for someone of my age to climb in, yet high enough for my older sister to really explore in. I remember the Japaneese garden, and hopping across the the pond on stepping stones that seemed like leaps and bounds apart, but now as an adult I realize were very close together. I loved exploring the bamboo forests, and going off the trail, and finding my way back. Maybe most of all, I loved the animals. I loved that for 25 cents you could get a handful of feed to feed the goats and horses and pigs and all the other farm animals. Yet there there was more than farm animals, and of course as a little boy I was facinated by the bobcat; the way it was so ferocious looking yet still resembled my own cat. I remember always searching for the three legged fox.

As I said my time at the park with my family is still one of the fondest memories that I have of my childhood, but what I didn't know until I was much older was why we went to Maymont Park so frequently. We went to the park so often for the simple reason that the park was free. I did not know it at the time but when I was very little my family struggled financially. My father worked his hands to the bone trying to provide for my family, and my mother worked just as hard taking care of two children, and watching other children on the side. It wasn't until later when my dad work his way up in his job and my mom became a teacher that I began to live the life of financial stability that I remember growing up. These trips to the park were my parents way of entertaining us kids with the funds that they had, and also their way of hiding our finacial struggles from us. Like  I said, I did not even know until later about our situation. The amazing thing is that it is because of that struggle that I am able to have these fond memories. It is because we needed a free alternative for entertainment that we went to the park. If we had more money we may have gone to more movies, or had a nicer tv to watch, or maybe even done more bowling or skating etc... but we because we didn't I was able to  explore the world (well just the park) as a little boy, and bond closer to my family.

At one of my churches we recently started a Bible study on the book of James, and as we looked at the first chapter it was this story that came to mind. James tells us to consider it pure joy when we face trials, because the testing of our faith produces perseverance. At times it is hard for us to understand how the trials in our lives can be joys, especially when we are smack dab in the middle of those tough times. I can not even imagine how difficult it must have been for my parents to see everything that they would have loved to provide for me and my sister but couldn't because they had to focus on providing us the basics. Out of it did come  great joy though, because out of it came my ability to bond with my family.  James reminds us that every good and perfect gift is from above. In our darkness let us remember the wonderful gifts that God is giving us, sometime even working through our difficulties to bring us great joy. Later in my childhood we did many other exciting things, we went to Florida and the Bahamas and other vacations of the sort, but as I look back at my childhood none of these compare to my days at the park, and for that praise be to God.