Spinning a story is not as easy as one may think. Just ask anyone who has been told a story. How often do we scratch our heads when trying to figure out Charades? Well, just listen to a two-year-old try to tell you a story. They completely understand but getting you to is an understatement.
Life is like that at the Buckmier household. Grandson, Johnny Bob, started spinning stories as soon as he could talk, even when we couldn’t understand him. We could tell from watching and listening to him that there was a story to be told and a story to be heard. Have you ever watched a toddler play with a ball or dig in a sand pile? There is always a story. Their expressions, hands, voices soft and loud tell the story. They expect you to understand – no questions asked. Sometimes you can figure out what they want when they hand you the baby doll but what happens when they hand you a truck, a ball or some toy animals such as horses and cows. As grandparents, we had a lot of stories wrong, but we learned to figure out the story and be totally amazed.
Stories begin with questions and questions become answers and answers become a game of connecting the dots. As we connected the dots to the story, it became apparent that I had to write it down in the exact order because Johnny Bob would know the difference if I changed the story or forgot a piece of it. Stories came fast and furious. We could be at my desk, playing in the yard, riding in the car reading a book together and stories would pour out like a mixer pouring cement. Stories multiplied over the days, years and thus numerous notes, one story lines and pictures became written on envelopes, napkins, cards, journals and finally the computer. You had to have a pencil and paper with you always. Stories came in the bath, lunchtime, naptime and even in the middle of the night. One had to be prepared to write it all down less one forgot because it was your responsibility to write it as the story teller envisioned it. After all that is what grandparents are for! To totally absorb and love their grandchildren as if they were the only ones on earth!