I guess everyone has memories from when they were children that sometimes haunt them. As a child I was always plagued by dreams, either showing up at school with my pj's on, or arriving after the school year had ended. I believe that dreams like these are a way of keeping us "on task" in order to excel in our lives.
Sometimes dreams often play out into our real lives, like the time my kindergarten teacher gave me a note to take home to Granny in regards to their Annual Fundraiser.

The note was carefully tucked into my cute, denim, blue and yellow knapsack. I carried it around as if I had gold for the Queen. Then, I decided to stop for one game of hop-scotch, before Granny came to retrieve me from school. It turned out that was the "sweetest" game of hop-scotch I had ever experienced. Except, in all the ruckus the note from my teacher must have flittered away.

Granny and I enjoyed our after school tete' a tete' as usual, and then I began bragging to her about our Kindergarten Fundraiser. When I reached home I went to show her the note and realized that I must have left it in school. The next day, the kindergarten munchkins had an all out search for little Magsie's note. What a fiasco!
Have you ever seen fifteen, hyper, three year olds running around on a mission? Trust me, it was a chaotic sight.

Eventually, I decided to call off the search because my kindergarten teacher, Ms. Punchinella was getting a bit suspicious. Instead, I decided to get busy with my crayola crayons and create my own note. In orange, green and yellow the note read, "Com To Funraser, Dress Pretty, Brin goodes N Njoy Marton. Meet AT School. Fr: The Kinggarten Teecher."

I was so proud of myself, I thought it was so professional looking. I hurriedly put it in an envelope and handed it to Granny when she came to get me from school. Granny scrutinized the note meticulously.
She said, "But wait Magsie, how come your note look so colorful? Was your teacher feeling o.k. when she gave you this?"

I shrugged my shoulders and continued nibbling on my snow cone Granny had purchased for me on the way home.

"Magsie, this note is strange, don't you think so?"

"Hmm..let me see there Granny. Oh I know! My teacher was being autistic Granny, that's why she used all those nice colors."

"Sweetheart, you mean she was being artistic."

"That's what I mean Granny, sometimes I get those words confused. Well, are you going Granny?"

"Absolutely, you know I never miss anything you children have."

I was so thrilled that I had succeeded with replacing the original note with my very own copy of it. For the next few days Granny was busy baking and cooking for "The Big Fundraiser". Granny even planned a very attractive outfit with a long flowing skirt and a broad rim hat to wear. In my world I thought everything was just peachy!

The day of The Fundraiser came and Granny toted roast fish, boil corn, curry tripe and white rice , along with a host of other delicacies. Not to mention how lovely she looked in her ensemble. It was fit enough for a garden party. I was dressed in my lively, red and white gingham dress, while sporting two crisply tied hair ribbons. Upon arrival, Granny noticed that everyone was dressed quite casual and the helpers were summoning her to join a line and walk briskly.

Granny responded, "Magsie, what is going on here? How come they don't have any tables to lay out the food? And what is going on with this man over there telling me to step on it and join the line? Where is your teacher?"

I spazzed for a second recalling the beautiful , sloping hills that lay just furlongs away from my school.....

There were beautiful mountains behind my school that I always admired while in class, I never dreamed that one day, my Kindergarten class would have a fundraiser to tackle them. In a three year old's mind most people have bake sales and food too raise money, it never occurred to me that this was going to be an athletic challenge. It was very ironic, especially since my Granny was plagued with arthritis even in those days.

"Uh, Granny, I don't know what's wrong with them, maybe they're not morning people? Huh, Granny?"

"No, something is not right here."

The next thing Granny knew, we were relieved of the food and asked to join a crowd of people wearing t-shirts and shorts saying, "Kindergarten Fun-Raiser Marathon, Way to Go little ones!!".

Granny called out to the leader of the marathon, "Sir, I have high heeled shoes on, I'm not dressed to climb up those steep hills. I'm not dressed to go hiking! You are mistaken, my grandchild and I are here for the Annual Kindergarten Formal Fundraiser. Would you be a dear and point me in that direction please?"

"Well, Mrs. Brown you are at a Fundraiser alright, but this one is the annual marathon where you run a 5k race."

Granny replied quite stociously, "Hmm, that's not good, because it means I'm not dressed appropriately. Excuse me for a second while I have a quick word with my little grandaughter."

"Mags? Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Maybe, Granny. I kinda, don't know where I left my teacher's note, so I made my own?"

Granny muttered, "Fiddlesticks! Satan is starting to mess with even the littlest ones among us. Alright, never mind sweetheart, I guess you and Granny will have to climb these steep hills with big heel shoes and all."

"Granny, you want to borrow my shoes?" Looking down at my pristine white Clarkes.

"Thanks darling, but Granny would only be able to get her big toe in there."

"Granny? Sorry....at least I have some water in my knapsack."

"Are you sure? Let's hope you didn't misplace that too."

We both laughed.

Like two little troopers Granny and I sauntered behind the racers, until our feet were blistered. We ignored the the weird stares from the participants as if we were two soldiers standing guard for the Royals. Thank god, Granny had bargaining power with her "cook food"! After about an hour of a grueling race, she offered the organizer of the marathon a nice healthy plate of her roast corn and curry tripe if she would guide us back to the main entrance. Quite prim and proper we both squirmed back to the main office where we doused our feet with water to alleviate the burning sensation of the blisters.

It was safe to assume that Granny and I were more than exhausted from our jaunt into the hills. As we sat outside the school house garden, Granny viewed an aloe vera ("toona") plant, which she took a small piece and lathered our aching feet with the juice from it. Eureka! Granny found a cure that would at least help us to make it home with our feet in tact.

As Granny and I made our way home gracefully, she asked me, "Magsie, do you see why translation is so important?"

"Yeah, Granny because little kids like me need one to get our point across?"

Like Art Linkletter always said, "Kids say and do the darndest things."

*Special kids require special love!"

Support Autism Awareness.