playing in the mud

When I arrived early for small group the kids were playing in the water and mud from this afternoon's downpour. It reminded me of our first day in the place on the side of a hill north of the Catskills. We had the site for the mobile home leveled and carved out of the side of the hill, an embankment above the house, an embankment below. The front steps were not very far from the lower embankment and I was terrified that the kids would fall and just roll until they hit bottom breaking any number of bones on the way. It was spring and the ground was mushy and wet from rain and melting snow and I was inside the trailer unpacking boxes. I heard laughter and screams outside and decided I'd better go see what was up. Both kids were walking back up the embankment covered with clay and a trough was worn where they had been sliding on their butts down the incline. Through the mud over shale out croppings and not a single broken bone. I told them to strip on the steps. There was no way they were coming into the house until they removed their clothes and got hosed off. I never worried again about someone falling down the hill. The clothes right down to the underwear had to be thrown away, there was no way to get the stains from the clay out. It was a small price to pay for a good laugh and some peace of mind.