Small Wonders...Of Every Kind

I get so excited when kids gets excited!  I love the looks on their faces and I love the tone in their voices.  Yesterday morning Luke came running over on his way to the bus stop to tell us  about the 'poisonous' praying mantis that was in the crack in their sidewalk.  He (the praying mantis) was so small.  I picked him up and moved him to higher ground so he wouldn't get stepped on.  Doodles was fascinated with it.  So much to that we made several trips to Ms Renee's house to check on him to make sure he was okay.  I love it when you learn something new about something you thought you knew  everything about.   I didn't know they could be brown with green legs.  Or that the little spike things are really dangerous because they are so sharp they can cut you.  And they are not poisonous (I already knew that)  But the wonder of little minds and just being able to sit as watch as the wheels turn and their brains are able to come up with the questions..that is what I live for.  I am blessed to be able to have little ones around me daily.  I hope I never get to old to appreciate the wonders of these unbelievable creatures God has put in my path...I mean the two legged ones.

Praying Mantis

A few years ago we ordered some praying mantis eggs.  We waited and waited and waited and finally one day they hatched.  Millions of little brown praying mantis babies hatched  in the window sill.  I have see a few that are brown and about 3 inches long and I am wondering if those could be some of our babies.  The today Doodles got so excited when she saw this green one.  I wold have missed it if not for her pure joy.  The next thing out of her mouth...'Wammy, hurry, go get you camera and take some pictures.'  And so we did.  She even had me catch it so she could touch it.  It's just the little things that make me smile!  I am glad that I can still see things thru the eyes of children.  It is what keeps me young.

Dinner Time

I am so thankful that these birds remind me of a time in our lives when we were first married. It seems like so long ago but the lessons that we learned we will keep with us always. Because of a family business going under we were forced to really think about what was top priority in our lives.  Putting food on the table and keeping a roof over our heads were tops on that list.  I can remember many time when I wasn't sure I could eat another green bean from our garden.  Mark's aunts sent us some of the cheese the government was giving them.  We mixed up instant milk and put it in the milk jugs so the kids would not know what they were drinking.  Several friends would show up with pies and cobblers (the recipes I use today).  We would be invited out for dinner.  dinners would appear at our front door.  It was a very humbling time.

A retired postal worker would always ask me how things were going and he would hug me and give me a hand full of dollars and tell me to go to the store and get the babies something good to eat.  I know that these people and this time made a lasting impression on me.  I am always looking for ways to help others.  I know I have been there and I know what they are experiencing.  I know it is not easy.  It is so hard to accept the goodness of others when you feel so embarrassed.  But that is okay.  Lessons are learned.

Even with the birds that are in our backyard.  I feed them and take care of them because it is my way to give back.  Might sound silly but they are important too.  I get hours of entertainment from them.  They make me take time to sit to rest and reflect.  I think you can always find a lesson in everything around you if you just look.  And there are many opportunities for us as a family to give back and help others.  It makes me feel like I listened to what God was trying to tell me and now it is my turn to help someone hear what He is saying to them.

We have been truly blessed over the years and I hope God will tell me the job He had for me on earth...that I did well.

It's Just The Little Things

I guess that this summer I have been a little more observant of my surroundings. I sit and watch the funny hummingbirds out the kitchen window during breakfast. We now have five and each has their own personality and look. And they are like crazy road rage drivers. They dive bomb each other on the feeders at the window. Sometimes they even crash into the window. I expect that one day I will see one 'playing' dead on the patio.

One day I will be able to photograph them and they will be crisp and clear instead of fuzzy.  Someday...

We have a pair of cardinals that pick out the sunflower seeds from the feeder.

I think the squirrels sit and wait for me to put food in the bird feeders.  As soon as I get inside they are up and chowing down.  This one is pretty healthy I'd say.

I worry about this little fellow.  He is so thin and scratching all the time like he has fleas.

He just doesn't took to healthy to me.  He even let me get really close this morning.  I'm just a little scared of this one.

I am so thankful that I am able to sit and just watch "nature'...as Michael calls it...out the kitchen window.  The little kids love it as much as I do.  They get excited when a hummingbird comes to the feeder.  They are always wanting to feed the birds and they will lay for hours watching the squirrels and chipmunk eat seeds out of the feed off the family room.  I am amazed that God was so creative in making all they types of animals that we can see.  The colors, body structures, how they work, all the textures and colors, how they move in the world together.  Boggles my mind. And I am thankful for that gift and the gift of being able to sit at my kitchen window everyday.