Reagan Creates

From her very first day
she was lively and spunky
and held up her end of the deal.
As soon as she learned to walk,
she was ever on the move,
always looking for the next
new thing to explore.

When Reagan was young,
one outfit a day was never enough.
She woke in the morning
and after a quick bite of food
and a sip of mom’s cool coffee,
she was off to start her day.
We would only see her in passing,
a breeze of flying skirts, colors, and hats
would fly by after she had changed once again.
Her large box of dress-up clothes
were the best toys she ever had.
Every new adventure called for
yet another creative set of clothes.

She dressed as an Indian
and would go outside for hours.
When she came to the door
you never knew if she was going
to show you a newly-skinned chipmunk
or ask if the dandelion and wild onion soup
she had just made and eaten would kill her.
There were hours of Master Chef
recreated with wilds from the woods.
Dead bunnies were strung up,
and the tails were carefully hidden away
in a drawer, safe from her brother.
Once upon a time, a hollowed loaf of bread
was discovered, squirreled away
to be a very nice and crusty bed
for her rather large cucumber named Jane.
Reagan had an adventurous spirit.

When school time rolled around,
Reagan was ready, but not so excited.
School would surely cut into her adventures,
but just maybe it would be grand enough
if you could spend all day with your friends.
And so the school years began for
Reagan, Laura, and Logan
with Miss Carolyn in the old church basement.

Time in Miss Lois’ classroom was exciting.
Here she learned to read, therefore
less time was spent exploring outside
and more time was spent
exploring the pages of many books.
Reagan became an avid reader
as time went on.
She loved reading everything
from entertaining books,
to history, comics, or Biblical,
along with every sign along the path
and in all the museums out west.
Reading was life everywhere she went.

As it always happened in Miss Lois’ classroom,
her love for animals was fed to her children
and lo, one day a pair of ducks
came home from school with Reagan.
Oh, these ducks were ever so precious
and must be fed and cared for
like no other ducks had ever been.
The little pink pool was set up
to supply these ducks with a place to swim.
One day Jack the cat was even tied to the porch
with a nearly fatal string around his neck,
all in the name of protecting her ducks.
But living in the woods did not bode well
for the ducks and much to Reagan’s dismay
one morning they were no longer among the living.
Many tears were shed, a small grave was dug,
and a cross was created to mark the spot
of the adventure with her two ducks.

Life at school continued
and Megan and Israel joined their class.
They had Katie and then Rodney as teachers
and enjoyed school plays, science,
history, book fairs, and of course,
dress-up day was always a highlight.
Rodney took them on many hikes
and Reagan loved brewing tree roots for tea
and exploring the great outdoors with him.
With Reagan’s creative flair,
she developed a love for the school plays
where the more involved and dramatic the part,
the happier she was to play her characters with a flourish.
Much to her pleasure many hours
were spent practicing and memorizing plays.

Bible quizzing was introduced in school
and Reagan immediately was drawn in.
She spent much time memorizing,
quoting, practicing, and quizzing.
She loved the competition,
the people, the interactions,
and the completion of a year well done.
Over the years she learned
46 chapters of the Bible,
valuable words to add to her life.

Occasionally Reagan would disappear
and we would soon hear the sewing machine
buzzing away downstairs.
She sewed many little things and then one day
she came to show me her newest creation,
a most lovely set of fingerless gloves.
She had traced her hand for a pattern
and cut them out of leftover lace.
She proudly wore her gloves
almost everywhere she went, except to bed,
and to this day is still known for
her love of lace, fingerless gloves.

Reagan also began to scribble drawings
on scraps of paper around the house.
Often we would find an eyeball
staring back at us when we opened
a tablet or flipped over a paper.
Slowly, it changed from eyeballs
to characters, mountains, and animals.
And then one day I realized,
Reagan has yet another creative side to her
that we are just beginning to see.
She could pick up a pen
and scribble a design with ease.
She was an artist.

7th grade was her first day of school
without Laura as her classmate
and also the move to Alan’s classroom.
As with all students, she soon loved his teaching
and enjoyed debating many things with him.
History class was always her favorite
and she loved to regale us with
tales of ancient things she learned.
She had her history book covered
to preserve it for later reading.
Mr. Nick took over for this grade’s
12th year in school and Reagan
enjoyed his creative outlook on life.
There was much wailing from Reagan
this year over advanced biology
and the unnecessary need to know
all the things they insisted she learn.

The older Reagan became,
the more new opportunities arose for her.
Her creative flair came out in
new and different ways.
She thrived in the city over the summer,
telling people about Jesus
with enthusiasm and life.
Her best day is still a good Saturday at home
where she exchanged dressing up
for a comfortable pair of pajamas,
a good cup of coffee, and a book,
although on occasions
you will still find her in a unique outfit.

Reagan, as you graduate and leave
your school years behind,
don’t lose your amazing flair and zest for life
and fight for what you love.
Keep reading, studying, learning, and living,
dig into God’s Word to grow in Him.
You are beautiful and unique,
created in God’s image to be special,
a picture of grace for Him.
Pour your heart into life and Jesus
and with Him, you’ll go far.