Last Friday, Little Miss wanted to go on a nature walk. I went with her. As we walked out the door, she headed up the driveway and I said, “Let’s go through the woods.”
She gladly obliged, and talked and talked and talked and talked. It was glorious! Halfway down the hill, I asked if she could see the creek. She excitedly looked up at me and said, “You have a creek?” I had thought she would have remembered.
I then realized that I hadn’t been down to the creek in a couple of years, and she was carried on her Mom’s back the last time she was down.
The dull nature walk turned into an adventure for her. She was so excited to know her grandparents owned a place that had a creek running through the property. She was fascinated by the little water falls and the bigger ones that had been carved by the water running down through the woods. It opened a whole new door for her.
The next day she took down a ‘man’ she had made from twigs so that she could send him down the little water falls and off into the great creek unknown. Her Dad accompanied us, which I was thrilled about. He was able to really play in the creek with her, as I know I would have ended up in the water or slipping on a rock, landing face first looking at the creek rushing by me.
Once more I re-learned the lesson of seeing the world through a child’s eye. The world is an exciting place to be when we stop to remember and to look. My son in law and I began to reminisce about our creek adventures when we were kids. Standing at the edge of the water, talking , two different generations and watching the third generation experience similar times as we had.
Children are indeed a blessing. I remember watching the kids in my class in Japan. It was such a novelty to me to be in a foreign classroom, teaching my native tongue. In front of me were children. They would have the same antics I had seen and participated in as a student. They drew a picture of their sensei on the board, it was not flattering. They played football (or most likely soccer) with folded pieces of paper. They played the game with string, cat’s cradle, wrapping them around their fingers into different shapes, hoping to stump their game partner.
I was amazed that kids were kids all around the world. I once more saw that in my Little Miss as she played like her dad did, her mom did and her grandparents did.
Children teach in their lives. I have learned so much from the children in my life. I am grateful for the refresher I had this past week.
“13 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19: 13-14 (NKJV)
The Refreshing of a Wild Rose 