Old Blue Is My Home

**Lisa Bueno** (0:00)
Okay, our friends, so today we are reading a story that reminds us that we have a lot to be thankful for. Are you a thankful person? Do you get up every morning and say, I'm so glad I woke up in my bed this morning.

**SPEAKER_2** (0:17)
And not elsewhere?

**Lisa Bueno** (0:18)
And not elsewhere. It's true. Where else would you wake up? Well, let's talk about that, because there's lots of different places a person can wake up. And sometimes there's just temporary places, like a hotel or even a hospital. And sometimes there are places that you can't do anything about. So we're going to read a story today, and then we're going to talk about it afterwards, okay? Today's story is called Old Blue is My Home. This story was written by Lita Judge, and it's read today by Mommy and...
Who are ya? What are ya?
What was that?

**SPEAKER_2** (1:02)
You found me!

**SPEAKER_3** (1:07)
You can see me?

**Lisa Bueno** (1:08)
Yeah!

**SPEAKER_2** (1:09)
Oh, I thought you were fishing.
You're not who I was looking for. So, this is my story. I was playing a game of hide and seek with my friend Hissue. And then, he never found me. And when he picked up this rope that I was under, I popped up, and, thinking you were Hissue, but it was, uh... Me! Who is me?

**Lisa Bueno** (1:40)
Mommy. And what is your name?
I don't have a name. I'm a corok. A corok. Wonderful. Well, my little friend, I'm glad that I set you free. Would you like to hear a story?

**SPEAKER_2** (1:54)
No, I wasn't trapped there. I like to hide there.

**Lisa Bueno** (1:56)
Oh, you were hiding there? Okay. Well, there are children who hide in other places, and I could tell you about one of them. This little girl hides in her car. That's what this story is about. So buckle up, and let's go right into it.
Old Blue doesn't go as fast as other cars, but together we go everywhere. And we can see the girl. She's got a big blue van that she's in, and it does not look like it goes very fast. To town, to the mountains, to a place where we can sit under the stars and eat warm soup before going to sleep. Old Blue is my home. And in the picture, we can see the girl. She's got a family, her mom and her dad, and the little girl all sleep curled up in their van. That's where they live. Fascinating, huh? Old Blue may look too small to hold everything we need, but we have an outdoor kitchen, and there is a shower made from a bag of water that we hang from a tree. I have my own hammock closet above our bed and a cozy library to read my favorite books. They have turned this van into a home. There is a place to store extra water and ax and tools, and we have wood to keep us warm, unless it's raining and then our bedroom becomes the family room, where we wait for the ping, ping thump of drops on the metal roof to stop. So we can see the mom and the dad and the boy and the girl, and they even have a dog and a cat, and they all cuddle up inside this cool looking van they've made into their home, and it looks like they just go on adventures, right? Old Blue is my home, but sometimes living in Old Blue makes me feel like I'm from everywhere and belong nowhere.
Especially when I go to school, some kids point and laugh at Old Blue, and because they don't understand, they point and laugh at me too. They invite each other to their homes to play, but no one wants to play in Old Blue.
Then these walls feel cold inside, and so do I. We can see the mom looking back at her daughter. When that kind of sadness takes over, mama and I have a lone time until Old Blue's walls feel warm again and filled with love.
We can see the little girl feeling very sad. Feeling very sad sometimes, it's part of life. You do feel sad sometimes, right?

**SPEAKER_2** (4:55)
Whenever Hishware are playing a game and he doesn't find me in it.

**Lisa Bueno** (5:01)
See, I think their family is choosing to live off the grid. Do you know what that means? That means that they're not plugged in anywhere, and they're choosing to travel instead.
And I believe that the world has a place for me too.
That's when I can soak in the warmth of the sun and feel at peace. Sometimes Old Blue and I play the flying game together. I'm never lonely when I imagine I belong to the wind. In the picture, we can see her sitting on top of the car, holding her arms out wide as the flock of birds fly over her. Wherever my family and I go, Old Blue gives us shelter and keeps us safe. And we can see they are road tripping and they can see... What is that? It's a moose, a great big animal. And they are picnicking? Old Blue has always looked after us, keeping us together. Someday we hope to have a forever home, but until that day, Old Blue is my home. And what a wonderful story. To live in nature like that and to get to be with your family and go different places, I want to say something that's special. If you are with your family, if you're with people who love you, you don't need to have a whole lot of fancy stuff, do you? No, you just need to have the people who love you. And that is a powerful thing, right?