today

...we went to the Dutch Country Farmer's Market*, a five minute drive from our house. We love to go there as a family; Sam never fails to charm the pants off of every single person in the place and it's so much fun to watch him enjoy himself. He's particularly fond of the puppy shop there. He goes barrelling down the wide aisle, just running for the joy of it, and then out of the corner of his eye he'll catch a glimpse of the puppies and stop dead, throwing his arms out for balance. He loves to stand with his hands pressed against the glass, squirming with delight, his body mirroring the antics of the puppies inside. Little boys and puppies belong together.

Normally we get pretzels and some chocolate milk, stopping in the little alcove to eat. The last two or three times we've done this, a little Amish girl about three years old comes bopping over to us, her blonde hair neatly pulled back into a snood, clutching a fistful of treats. "Hi!" she'll say and then she and Sam will have a conversation based entirely on gestures and the mutual sharing of food. Sometimes she'll casually reach up and snag a piece of pretzel from Sam's tray or she might ask with her eyes if she can use his toy hammer and then they'll pass it back and forth, smiling. Today I decided it would be okay for Sam to come out of his stroller (we incarcerate him while we eat; it's the only way) and play with his friend. She was delighted when he ran off, inviting her to chase him. I stayed at the table to finish my food while Jeff went after them to make sure they stayed out of trouble. When they next went past, he told me they had been running and holding hands. I wish I could have snapped a picture; it was the most adorable sight to see. Occasionally they'd stop and hug each other which made everyone in the vicinity say "Awww!" reflexively. On about their third lap around the market, the little girl's mother came out to talk to me. I learned that our small friend's name is Leona and that she doesn't speak any English at all apart from "hi" and "bye." That's okay though because Sam only signs at the point so it's not like they'd be having any sort of deep conversation. Leona's mom was exceptionally nice and I had a great time talking to her about kids and all the ways they are same, no matter what culture they are born into. I'm pretty Sam and Leona have only running in common but they are fast friends. I wish adults had that kind of easy acceptance of each other. Can you imagine what type of world this would be if we could share each other's pretzels and form a friendship on the basis of "hello?"

Sam was sad when he had to go home but both he and Leona were red in the face and blowing from running so hard. We'll be back again soon, though. Pretzels and friends...we can't stay away long.

*How wierd is it that the Amish have a website?! They also text Jeff deals because he signed up for their program. Crazy!