LEGENDARY

We have been lost in legend here in the Behnke home. After reading Tall Tales and stumbling upon the Disney collection Natalie and Adam have adopted Paul Bunyan and Babe the big blue ox as cherished friends.

Adam walks around with a plastic golf club (his ax), chopping down trees and singing. He especially loves to chop in the dark hallway with a flashlight to show his reflection and Mom and Dad in the background singing their version of a "Paul Bunyan" song.

Natalie wants to be called Babe, has fashioned a yoke which she begs each one of us to take a turn wearing. "We must pull our loads" she says earnestly.

We have been able to use the examples of these heroes and legends like Johnny Appleseed, John Henry, Casey Jones, and of course Paul Bunyan to speak of strength of character and honesty.

At times I would rather not crawl down the hall with a styrofoam yoke around my neck and Adam riding my back chopping with his ax. Sometimes I have sung a Paul Bunyanesque song so long that I cannot think of anymore verses and my brain is mush. And I would love to have a conversation that didn't include an imaginary blue ox as the subject.

But they are entranced, delighted, wholly excited about the idea of something, someone larger than life, bigger than what they know. And this makes me excited to keep pointing them to the biggest and best story of all, the greatest Hero and the truest friend...