{"id":49474,"date":"2025-11-08T18:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T23:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/?p=49474"},"modified":"2025-11-03T16:55:33","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T21:55:33","slug":"revenge-of-the-squirt-guns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/revenge-of-the-squirt-guns\/","title":{"rendered":"Revenge of the Squirt Guns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Dotting My Teas By: Marlene Oxender<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What if? What if we had a book in our hands, and the author is life itself? The title of the book is Me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This imaginary book already exists in our head. But what if our story was typed onto the pages of a real book, and what if that book included only the things we\u2019re okay with reliving? We\u2019d read only the good things. Nothing negative allowed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d say sign me up, and I\u2019d move the book to the top of my to-be-read pile of books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019d be the most interesting book we\u2019d ever read. The cover page would be captivating and the introductory page not intimidating at all. It would use the best words to make us think we\u2019d lived the best life ever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019d read every joke we\u2019d ever heard. We\u2019d relive every hello. And every hug. We\u2019d be reminded of friends who\u2019d been in our life for a short while. We\u2019d read about the fun moments.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we came upon a paragraph that mentions a storm we\u2019d lived through, we\u2019d think the author had messed up. That storm isn\u2019t supposed to be mentioned in our book. But then we\u2019d see how something positive happened because of the storm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was recently going through my small purse notebook and removing the pages I no longer needed. On one of the papers were the words \u201crevenge of the squirt guns.\u201d It was my handwriting, and I knew I\u2019d written the words down so I wouldn\u2019t forget them. But who\u2019d said those words?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farther down the page I read \u201ccheers to the boys.\u201d I had to think for a while before it came to me. I\u2019d heard those words at a summer lake party where my nephews were speaking about who was going to win.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There I was with another gift in my hand. The gift of words from children at play. Words I\u2019d heard but had already forgotten. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although my nephews had spoken of revenge \u201cof\u201d the squirt guns, it really would be revenge \u201cwith\u201d a squirt gun. When a squirt gun is in the hands of a child at a lake party, someone is going to get wet. After all, that\u2019s the reason squirt guns exist. They were made for revenge. They were made to make us laugh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve likely been in a few squirt gun fights as children, and our new book will cover the details of the encounters we\u2019d survived. We\u2019ll read who was on offense and who was on defense. We\u2019ll know who got wet. We\u2019ll know who ran the fastest and who laughed the loudest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ll let our friends read our book, and we\u2019ll read theirs.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone\u2019s book would be interesting. But the kicker: If there\u2019s no mention of the bad times, the reader won\u2019t learn of the catalysts that brought us to where we are today. They\u2019ll think we\u2019ve led a cushy life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Isn\u2019t that how life is? We see others and think they have it all. Then we speak with them and learn more. We hear of the problems they\u2019ve encountered and hardships they\u2019ve lived through. Hardships meant to take us on a spiritual path many don\u2019t know exists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we think of things we\u2019re grateful for, it\u2019s easy to remember the good times. It rarely occurs to us that rough patches made any sense at all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When my younger brother Stevie, who had Down syndrome, was nearing the end of his life, one of my friends asked me if I had thanked him for joining me here on earth. For being my little brother. For all the laughs and magnificent times he\u2019d gladly shared with me \u2013 and with everyone in his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t give my friend an answer because I was too busy wiping the tears that were sliding down my face. I didn\u2019t want to do what he suggested. I just wanted to continue living my days with Stevie\u2019s physical presence. I didn\u2019t like the thought of the fun times being over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although we\u2019d like to experience a lifetime of nothing but joyful moments, we know life doesn\u2019t work that way. We\u2019re here to learn and grow. Through problems and heartaches. There\u2019ll be times we think we need a fire hose to put out the flames, and all we have in our hand is a squirt gun.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe that\u2019s life\u2019s way of reminding us of the power within. We may feel ill-equipped, yet we have what we need. Sometimes we\u2019re on offense. Sometimes we\u2019re on defense.     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children have a way of pulling us into their world. A world of laughter. A world where we can win. A world where we know it\u2019s okay when a squirt gun gives us all it\u2019s got \u2013 for we\u2019re writing our story in a way that will make us think we\u2019d lived the best life ever.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marlene Oxender is a writer, speaker, and author. She writes about growing up in the small town of Edgerton, her ten siblings, the memorabilia in her parents\u2019 estate, and her late younger brother, Stevie Kimpel, who was born with Down syndrome. Her three published books, Picket Fences, Stevie and Grandma, You Already Am Old, are available on Amazon. Marlene can be reached at mpoxender@gmail.com<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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