Seize the Day

The beautiful days of Fall have finally arrived! It feels as if the days have slowed, and the tempo has relaxed. Our bodies long for the outdoors, the fresh air. There is always something about Fall, when the world of nature seems to be preparing....foraging...as if knowing instinctly that a new season has dawned. We took a break from our regular school schedule and sought out a quiet spot...to walk, to talk, to discover.

Lately, I have struggled with our living in a cookie cutter neighborhood, in the suburbs of the huge metropolis of Dallas/Ft. Worth. It certainly was not the dream of my heart. It was not the life I desired for my children. Concrete driveways, and paved roads, tiny backyards...all seemed to be uninspiring and creating a sort of dulldrum in our minds and hearts. I remembered reading Karen Andreola say once that they had to "seek out" places to find nature at one point in their homeschooling journey, to find things to write in their nature journals. And so today, we ventured out. We found a tucked away park, and were thrilled to discover a little creek running through it, with an abundance of trees, nuts, foliage, animals, to explore!

I marveled as my children came alive. Each one instantly finding their own special discoveries in the veins of a leaf, or in the plop of a turtle as he escaped into the water. Gorgeous trees became our playground as my girls climbed to their hearts content. I was worried that I would have to prompt, to encourage...but God met us in that park. There was no contrived "lesson" from momma...only the soft whisper of the Creator himself as he beckoned us to "taste and see" all that He had created just for us.

Brayden, always delighted with the simple things, was especially amazed at the shapes and varieties of leaves, textures, and sizes. He also drew all of our attention to a wild and aggressive sparring match between two furry squirrels! As they rolled and fought, my children laughed out loud with pure delight! We walked along the creek, stopping and lingering, soaking in the multitudes of sights, smells and sounds....

The beauty of this day was that my children discovered the Divine in the ordinary. They looked beyond a pretty flower or a spider web, and found symmetry, color and details that even I had missed. At one point, Emily, my sweet vibrant five year old...pointed out a "leaf that had air in it"! Sure enough it was a pod of some sort, almost like a "leaf balloon". She promptly popped it open to discover one simple, perfectly round seed right in the middle.

Upon finding a perfectly dried dandelion, Reaghan, my tender...contemplative seven year old, insisted that she make a wish. Closing her eyes tightly, her little heart searched for just the right wish, not taking lightly this ceremonial blowing of the dandelion. Once she had found it, she gave a barely noticible little nod of her head, then blew ever so sweetly across the face of that fuzzy ball. I am convinced that whatever she wished, that her Father in Heaven was so delighted with her tenderness, and awe...that He just might answer that little unspoken prayer.

As the day drew to a close, I was delighted as my precious boy came up and showed me this leaf. "What does it remind you of momma??" ...."It looks like a heart buddy".....then as he insisted I take the picture of it...I noticed the heart, lying perfectly over the tender palm of his hand. My son....my only son....my heart skipped a silent beat, as I thought of another "only son" with his palms outstretched...and a gaping hole in the middle of his hand. Nail holes...a crucified life....a broken body...broken for me...for these beautiful babies of mine. Those holes, an emblem of love...deep abiding love....drawing me into himself. The breezes of heaven swept over me at that moment. These are the moments, gathered up, collected together...that make up the fabric of our very lives. May I always remember to seize the day, to see beyond what is there, and to abide in that place.