My older sister is an amazing woman. One of the many testimonies to that fact is the excellence which all of her children exude. The family makes a trip out to Bear Canyon every time I come to Tucson. Given the familiarity with which her children treat the trails and features of the place, it is clear that the family makes trips to Sabino Canyon Recreation Area regularly. This morning, after getting some sandwiches from the Sunrise Village Shopping Center Subway, 11 of us went to Bear Canyon to wander through and marvel at the beauty of that desert treasure.
The spirit of my niece and nephews is so very bright, positive, curious and full of energy. I was especially impressed with Luke, Kara’s youngest. Luke is not a runt, but he is the “baby,” of the family. Since the addition of Isaiah, the family’s foster child, 15 months ago, Luke has had his identity stripped. With mom constantly attending to a near-to-walking, unpredictably mood changing, completely dependent, beautiful boy, there is not room at her side for a cautious, needy Luke.
As a result Luke (5) competes with his physical immaturity in order to keep pace with Nathan (7), and Noah (10). Amazingly, the result is a child who cannot afford to be fearful. Fear means hesitation and hesitation serves to widen any distance between the youngest and his physically superior kin. 1.5 miles from the parking lot we came to a human enhanced reservoir area. I kept watch over Luke during our time there. I never offered to help him figure a way over any of the obstacles, and he never fell, never tripped, never asked for help. My little nephew ran, bare foot, over trees, rocks, frigid water, sand, and dead, dry desert debris for about an hour.
At one point Noah came to two rocks made wide or close with time, water running between them. After some thought he leaped over the gap. Luke came to the same spot within a minute and Noah recommended that he go around. “No,” he said “its faster this way.” He jumped the obstacle effortlessly.
In truth all of my sister’s kids are remarkably adept at climbing, bouldering, and scaling. Katherine can walk upright on a slick-bark covered tree at an incline. Noah can find hidden holds in sheer rock. Nate can creep like a cat out onto long, thin branches. Of a certainty I will await these kinds of excursions with an ever increasing fondness and anticipation.
albaniacalling 