Shadow Tag

She runs across the lawn, her golden hair dancing in the sunlight. The sound of winter leaves crunching beneath her tiny feet. Her shouts echo across the courtyard. Her laughter joins with the songs of nature in a joyful symphony. Just four year olds and her life is unfolding before her, no cares, no worries, just a soul filled with wonder. So easily amused. She spends a good fifteen minutes, chasing the shadow of my hand around the yard, trying to catch it. Laughing, falling, rolling in the grass. Jumping to her feet and trying again. Screaming, "I did it", at the top of her little lungs when she catches it. Before long she forgets the shadow tag and begins chasing the crows around the yard. Laughing and singing, lost in her own little world. Finally worn out she crawls onto my lap and whispers, "Daddy, I love you. Can we go home now?"