Marlee Wants To Be A Swan

The next day Marlee asked her Grandma B if she had taken any pictures of Grandma Lu as a pirate at Story Time.
Grandma B assured Marlee that she had. She would have some printed off someday and put them in the album that sat by Grandma Lu's chair in the sitting room. She chuckled and told Marlee,  "Grandma Lu is kind of old fashioned. She would rather have a Photo Album than a phone any day. She loves to look at old pictures."

Today Marlee and her Grandma B were going to take her Great Grandma Carolyn to an appointment. While she was busy they were going to go to the park.  Grandma B had told her that the park where they were going had swans and ducks and geese sometimes in the pond. It also had slides and playground equipment to play on. She said that there were lots of trees so it would be very cool and quiet this time of year. Marlee was excited. She loved to go for rides and to do new things.

Soon it was time to go pick up Nanny, Grandma B's mama. In the car they were talking about how nice the park was going to look. Marlee was anxious to get there.
Soon they dropped Nanny off and went to the park. Oh, it was just like Grandma B had described it. It was beautiful. The trees all had green leaves. And there were some geese and there was a swan.

Look, "B", there's a swan. I think I know about swans. They can't talk much can they? Oh, it is so beautiful. I wish I was a swan."
Grandma B laughed and said, "Marlee, why do you want to be a swan?
 "Because I don't want to be an ugly duckling." Grandma B chuckled and gave her a hug. "You will never be an ugly duckling. I think you are beautiful. Whatever gave you the idea about being an ugly duckling?" Marlee shrugged her shoulders and didn't say anything more. Grandma B could tell she had something on her mind though. She would check into it when they got home.
Suddenly Grandma B said, "Oh, look, there is Arieanna. See, over there by the ducks. Wave at her, Marlee. It's always nice to see friends when we go places isn't it?" Marlee smiled and used her outside voice and said, "Hi, Arie!"
Marlee thought to herself, "It is nice to see friends when we go places."

Grandma B said, "Marlee let's go play on the slide and the swings, what do you think, would you like that?" Marlee smiled really big and said, "I would love it! I love to slide. That is a pretty big one so I will be careful.
At Marleewood there was an old old book laying on Grandma Lu's chair called the Ugly Duckling. If someone had picked up that old book they would have discovered that some pages were damp with tears...

                                                 
The Ugly Duckling was written by a Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen in Denmark in the late 1800's. Even then the matter of self image was so important to some. His message was, it doesn't matter the color of your skin, the looks of your home or your parentage. You are known for who and what you are, not your looks. This lesson will be taught til the end of time and perhaps never learned by many.