Kittle: Hold up your corner of the blanket

When I was a kid, my friends and I loved building forts with blankets. Did you ever do that? We would throw blankets over chairs and tables, pinning them down with books and sometimes old wooden clothespins, creating little caves we could crawl through. We would pause under the tables for snacks and pop — yes, pop, because we’re from the Midwest and cola, soft drink or soda just doesn’t sound right! One afternoon, while we were playing with those blankets, one of my friends laid down across one of them. Before long, the other four of us had each grabbed a corner of the blanket and lifted him up. We were gently — most gently! — bouncing him on that blanket. Each of us was holding one corner. Each of us was supporting the blanket. And, together, we were supporting our friend. Those days, with sunlight streaming into the porch, being silly and enjoying the simple joys of friendship, snacks and creativity, remain among my favorite memories.

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