Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Coloring Books

She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors;
Psalm 45:14

Yesterday, while out running errands, Em and I took a minute to stop in the Dollar Tree and look for some coloring books. We found some she really liked and left the store with several Strawberry Shortcake books and one Sesame Street book. I think she has colored at least a dozen pictures of dancing darlings in pretty dresses in the last two days. She is doing a great job!

I've noticed a new box of crayons and a fresh coloring book have a way of magically transporting me back in time...

I am once again a little girl of eight or nine. My sisters and I have gathered around the dining room table, new coloring books spread before us. We take turns pawing through the old fruitcake tin of crayons in the center of the table, each new color bringing a new breath of life to the black and white drawings. I choose some of my favorite colors; orange-red, green-blue, and orange yellow. (These days they have fancier names like scarlet, teal, and dandelion.) On the best nights Mom and Dad will sit beside us and take a book too, encouraging our efforts by word and example. Mom's pictures are bright and beautiful, while Dad turns simple crayons into paintbrushes.


Hannah and I thumbed through fresh new coloring books. Strawberry Shortcake and her friends smiled at us, each one begging for a bit of color. I had purchased several new boxes of crayons to go along with the books. I never color a picture without thinking of my dad. As I layer the colors, add highlights, and redden the cheeks of smiling children, I see my father doing the same. Even my own children have the tendency to turn their colorings into a painted masterpieces. I think I may be making a return trip for more new crayons and coloring books before I know it!

4 comments:

  1. Is there any thing better than a brand new box of color crayons and a new color book.

    Doesn't matter the age, I love coloring with my grandkids.

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  2. Oh crayola crayons! As a teacher with a deep interest in art I was always obsessed with the storeage of crayons, coloured pencils, felt tips! They HAD to be stored collectively in their own colours, and then in the colours of the spectrum! I always hid the black, brown and grey! lol!

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  3. I still use the black, but the gray is seldom touched. And yes, they must be stored properly. That's important. ;)

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  4. I love the Dollar Tree for frugal fun like this. Coloring has always been a mood soother for me; a time to relax and worry about nothing more than staying within the lines. Thank you for sharing such sweet memories.

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