I have a picture of my brother Graham and me when we were elementary age, standing together with Pluto between us. I should clarify that I mean Pluto the dog, not the dwarf planet. I should also say we were at Disneyland, so this wasn’t a random person dressed up as Pluto at a local mall, though having lived much of my life in more rural communities, the idea of seeing Pluto the dog at the mall might have been a big thrill at one point. (Wow, this story is off to a bad start.) This was a time before cell phones, before cell phone cameras and before you could post something on the internet proving you were there, so the picture is the only evidence I have that, in fact, I have been to Disneyland. But my memory of it is picture-perfect despite its point on my life’s timeline.
It was our first Christmas living in California and we went on Christmas Day. Unexpectedly, the park was packed. We got on three or four rides total, including the newly opened Splash Mountain. And as much as I hated crowds, even then, I clearly remember thinking how lucky I was to be at Disneyland! As an adult, I still love all things Disney and have even mentioned to my husband that we will probably renew our vows there at some point, so he should start saving now. If you were to judge the success of the outing by the amount of ride time, line-waiting and delicious meals, it would not have made my top 25 family vacation moments, and I was only in the fourth grade. So how is it that a lackluster childhood outing can be so magical in my memory that it encourages my childlike heart to return to all the Disney parks as many times as I can? I don’t know the whole answer, but the folks at Disney have definitely learned that giving adults the opportunity to be kids again, even for a day, is worth more to us than Pluto (the dwarf planet, not the dog).
The High School Youth service is on Sunday and the theme is “Celebrating Your Inner Child.” Though the youth recognize that not all childhood memories are wonderful and that being a kid is not always easy, we’d like to encourage you to think about a truly happy memory from your childhood. (You’ll have an opportunity to share it in an art project.) Embrace the things you loved as a kid, remember the toys that brought you the most happiness and feel free to play. No judgment. No shame. Just laughter, joy and the permission to be a kid again for one day, without the cost of a trip to Disneyland.